Putting a Price Tag on Nature: CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability Panel Discusses the Economics of Ecosystems

Our natural world provides services that form the cornerstone of our everyday lives – clean air and water, healthy soil for growing food, and more. So what is the price tag on these natural services that happen “for free”?

A panel of Colorado State University experts will tackle this intriguing question Feb. 26, 5-6:30 p.m. at Avogadro’s Number, 605 S. Mason St., Fort Collins.

Joshua Goldstein of The Nature Conservancy will join Andrew Seidl from the CSU Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Thomas Dean, Department of Management; and Mary Stromberger, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences for the panel moderated by Gene Kelly of the CSU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Associate Director for Research and Development for the School of Global Environmental Sustainability.

This discussion is the second in this year’s Managing the Planet Panel Series, presented by SoGES. The panel is presented in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Enterprises in the CSU College of Business.

The experts will deconstruct the value of nature, as well as explain the why and how we place monetary value on the benefits of those systems. What is the meaning of “ecosystem services” and why must we pay attention to them? The panel will also discuss the value and the opportunities that lie ahead in “ecosystem markets.”

For questions regarding the Managing the Planet series or this panel, contact Aleta Rudeen Weller, Aleta.Weller@ColoState.edu, 970-492-4160.

About the School of Global Environmental Sustainability
The School of Global Environmental Sustainability is at the core of a growing number of exciting sustainability initiatives in research and education at Colorado State University. SoGES serves as a hub to connect CSU’s community of scholars and practitioners interested in applying interdisciplinary perspectives to large-scale environmental, economic, and social questions not easily addressed through traditional approaches.

The School was uniquely designed to reach across disciplines and colleges to forge new alliances and advance greater understanding of the challenges to achieving sustainability faced by our nation and global community. SoGES is meeting this challenge and continues to strengthen CSU’s reputation of being at the forefront of addressing the world’s sustainability issues through research, education, and outreach.
 

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