LITTLE ROCK – Anisa Baldwin Metzger will present a lecture titled "Where We Learn Matters" on Tuesday, April 14, at the Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E. 9th St., in Little Rock. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the center's Lecture Hall, following a 5:30 p.m. reception.

Baldwin Metzger is School District Sustainability Manager for the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. She oversees a national effort that provides guidance and support for the council's state subsidiaries and their sustainability efforts. Here in Arkansas, the Arkansas chapter of the council hosts the Arkansas Green Challenge, a program that pairs mentors - architects and engineers among them - with students and staff members to find ways of "greening" their schools. Now in its fourth year, the Arkansas Green Challenge has reached 80 schools and more than 40,000 students, helping them to understand the impact of school facilities design on matters relating to learning, health and the environment. 

Baldwin Metzger, who grew up in Little Rock, received a bachelor of science in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington in Seattle. Following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, she worked in New Orleans, helping schools rebuild in ways that reflected their commitment to the council's green principles. Drawing on her own experience, she says that "the pursuit of environmental sustainability requires that we utilize design thinking to deal with many complex problems our world faces." In her talk, she will share strategies for working with schools and school districts throughout the country to develop ways of insuring sustainability.

The Arkansas chapter of the council is the co-sponsor of Baldwin Metzger's lecture. The 2014-15 Art of Architecture lecture series is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network, a non-profit organization, with support from the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Arkansas Arts Center, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and community members.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact ardenetwork@me.com.