"WEEF empowers all of
us to contribute in our
own way towards a world with an ecologically and economically sustainable environment."

Robin Harris (WEEF Board Member 2005-2011)
Emeritus Professor
University of Wisconsin Madison

Robin Harris has been a Department of Soil Science professor with joint appointments in Bacteriology and Environmental Toxicology since the 1960s, becoming emeritus in 2001.  His research and teaching programs include lake eutrophication, fish waste composting, soil quality basis of healthy soils – healthy people, environmental bioenergetics of microbial ecology and emergence of life on earth.  Robin has organized symposia and workshops on college and K-12 soil and agro-environmental science teaching aids. His administrative experience includes chairing the Department of Soil Science (1991-99) and the budget and finance committees of national and international (2002-10) soil science societies.

Robin has served as UW System designee to the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) since 1996.  During this time he has provided task force leadership on the sustainability-based EE working definition, forestry and general EE funding, and the creation of the Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation.  He is currently the Chair of the WEEB Development Committee, and a member of their Executive, Planning, and Legislative Relations Committees.  As a member of both the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board and the Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation, Robin facilitated the complementary and interconnected roles of the two organizations.

In his free time, Robin enjoys international travel, and biking, hiking and snowshoeing on Wisconsin's many state trails.        

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