The genesis of this educational leap was born out of the collective experience gained over the last three years that Chris Moyer, Richard Young and I have spent traveling the country and spreading the sustainability message to the industry. We started our outreach with simple, prescriptive messages—quick, easy and inexpensive actions operators and educators could take to operate more efficiently and prepare students for the foodservice world as it will exist when they graduate and enter the workforce.

Those messages have been embraced and, I’m proud to say, have helped bring sustainability into the mainstream of our industry.  Now it’s time to elevate the discussion to a  higher level—to explore the more complex issues like advances in technology, green building, and the highly nuanced area of food—topics where black-and-white give way to shades of gray. This conference will help foodservice pros and educators “take the gray out of green.” It won’t seek to provide pat answers, but rather to give attendees the tools and resources they need to make the decisions that are right for their organizations.

What can you, as an educator, expect at IFSS? You can expect to take a deeper dive into these complex topics.  You can expect to hear from some of the most respected experts in their fields from the United States and abroad. You can expect passionate discussion. You can expect to hear divergent and sometimes controversial views. You can expect to take away knowledge that will help you elevate your sustainability education program to the next level.

As a sneak preview of things to come, the conference will kick off with a keynote address by Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, a pioneer in sustainable farming who served on the National Organics Standards Board and helped write the standards for certified organics. He’ll talk about sustainable agriculture and what it really means. Is it organic? Is it biodynamic? Is it local?  Could it even be conventional agriculture? Some of his answers may surprise you.

The IFSS begins at 3:00 PM at Kendall College on May 24, immediately after the close of NRA Show 2011 and it will conclude late the next afternoon. Knowing that many people will have been in town for several days and will be anxious to get home for the Memorial Day holiday, the program is compact but jam-packed with thought-provoking presentations. For more information and registration visit www.ifssustainablity.org.

Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, is executive director of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts. Kendall College sponsors the annual CAFÉ/Kendall Green Award.