1/22/2003

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

Signature Program –PUBLIC INVITED TO EXPLORE KEY ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICSDURING SPRING LECTURE SERIES ON WEDNESDAYS AT SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY

       SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- An environmental lecture series open to the public will be held at Slippery Rock University to provide tips on recycling, solar energy and other related topics applicable to homeowners and businesses.

       The spring series features a different speaker and topic each Wednesday between Jan. 29 and April 30, at 12:30 p.m., in Room 130 of the Physical Therapy Building. All are free and open to the public, students or classroom groups. Call 724-738-2622.

       SRU has become a leader in environmental stewardship, having been recognized for its conservation efforts and programs by the National Wildlife Federation. The university offers majors in environmental studies, environmental education, environmental science and parks and recreation, as well as a graduate degree program in sustainable systems.

The lecture lineup:

Jan. 29:New Life for Used Building Materials, Mike Gable, executive director, Construction Junction, Inc., Pittsburgh;

Feb. 5:Following the Leader: Nova Scotia’s Organics Ban and Composting Program Shows the Way, Joe Jenkins, author of
Humanure Handbook, Slate Roof Bible and Balancing Point;

Feb. 12:Pointing Pennsylvania Toward a Sustainable Future: Moving from Concept to Practice at Both State and Local Levels, Dr. Kathi Bertran, research scientist, Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University; chair, Sustainable Pennsylvania Program, Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy;

Feb. 19:Earth Literacy, Dr. Gene Wilhelm, retired SRU professor of geography and environmental science;

Feb. 26:Sustainable Community: Macoskey’s Original Vision and Further Possibility, Dr. Ted Kneupper, retired SRU professor of philosophy;

March 5:Forest Stewardship Strategy and Biological Assessment for Slippery Rock University Forest Properties, Michele Gauger, SRU sustainable systems graduate student;

March 19:The Pennsylvania Biodiversity Conservation Plan, Dr. Sue A. Thompson, president, Pennsylvania Biodiversity
Partnership;

March 26:Progress in Solar PV and Effective Sustainable Policy Implementation at the University Level, Joshua Pearce, materials engineering graduate student and instructor in the Science, Technology and Society Program, College of Engineering at
Pennsylvania State University.

April 2:SRU Local Food Project: The Potential Political, Economic and Social Impacts of Institutional Purchasing Power; Heather House, SRU sustainable systems graduate student, and Jerry Mullen, ARAMARK Dining Services;

April 9:Fair Trade: A Marketplace Through Rose-colored Glasses or a Sustainable Alternative to the Bottom Line?, Laurie Wilkins, biologist, Florida Museum of Natural History and president, EarthBound, Inc.;

April 16:Ecological Factors Influencing Individual Trees in Rain Forests in Tanzania, Dr. Frank Anderson, Forestry, Ecology and Environmental Research, Canton, Ohio;

April 23:The Ethos of Environment: Sustainable Growth or Reciprocity? Dr. Nancy Barta-Smith, SRU associate professor of English, The Goddess Contra Globalism: Reciprocity with the Earth, Dr. Allan Larsen, SRU philosophy professor emeritus; and

April 30:Biological Perspectives on Stream Restoration, Dr. Mel Zimmerman, professor, biology department chair and director of Clean Water Institute, Lycoming College.                                                                 

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