LINCOLN, Neb. — Steve Evans, director of research in industrial sustainability at the University of Cambridge, will deliver a Dec. 4 Heuermann Lecture at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The theme is “Industry and Sustainability: What Next? And What’s Next?”

Evans, a professor of engineering, oversees research projects analyzing the real-world potential for companies to boost efficiency and reuse of otherwise wasted material while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Evans has been a special adviser to the United Kingdom’s House of Lords for waste reduction inquiries and has helped organizations implement structured responses to promote sustainability. Challenges to achieving sustainability goals include a lack of innovation, limited collaboration and poor performance management, his work has shown.

SUSTAINABILITY

Half of edible food in the world is not eaten, and only 10% of processed material reaches the customer, Evans said. His Heuermann Lecture will describe practical actions, long-term goals and emerging opportunities and challenges in industrial sustainability.

One focus of the presentation will be notable sustainability strategies by companies including Toyota, Chanel and Airbus.

The Dec. 4 lecture will begin at 3 p.m. at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center. A reception will follow at 4:30 p.m.

The Heuermann Lecture series in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is made possible through a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, Neb. The Heuermanns are longtime university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska’s production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.