Provocate.org

Some might say it is karmic pay-back for being Dan Quayle’s alma mater … whatever the reason, DePauw’s Discourses have developed into one of the most important sustained discussions of intellectual concerns and civic action. With Bill McKibbem, Robert Kennedy Jr, and others this year looks like one of the most interesting.

When: Thursday October 4 to Saturday October 6
Where: DePauw University

DePauw Discourse lectures, presented by the Washington C. DePauw Society, are free and open to all.

The Discourse’s webpage has more information, including detailed bios of the speakers, a schedule for the Discourse, registration information, and a nice reading list.

DePauw Discourse 2007 will begin October 4 at 4 p.m. with an opening lecture by Bill McKibben, whose first book, The End of Nature, is regarded as the first to address the issue of climate change to a general audience, and has been printed in more than 20 languages. His most recent book, Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, advocates for new approaches to consumption in an age of global warming. He proposes “pursuing prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment.”

At 8 p.m. on October 4, The 11th Hour, the new environmental documentary produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, will be the focus of a special screening and discussion with Discourse participants Bill McKibben, Greg Watson, and Wallace Nichols (all of whom are featured in the film). Professor Jennifer Everett will moderate the session. The documentary examines the state of the global environment, and includes visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet’s beleaguered ecosystems. 

Friday, October 5 Discourse conversations will feature:

• DePauw alumnus and Ocean Conservancy senior researcher Wallace J. Nichols, founder of Ocean Revolution, an international program designed to inspire young people to protect oceans, and a leading expert on sea turtles
• Andy Miller, director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture, who will speak on “The Truth about Sustainable Agriculture”
• Greg Watson (vice president for sustainable development and renewable technologies for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative) and Kay Pashos (vice president of regulatory strategy for Duke Energy, one of the country’s largest electric power companies) will discuss alternative energy sources with DePauw assistant professor of economics and management, Michele Villinski
• With Kerry Pannell (DePauw associate professor of economics and management) Glenn Prickett (Conservation International senior vice president for business and U.S. government relations) discuss what government and business can and should be doing to engage global environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity, water, and energy security
• Cristina Mittermeier (executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers) will discuss using high quality imagery as an effective story-telling conservation tool.

Friday evening will conclude with 8 p.m. remarks by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., entitled “A Contract With Our Future.” Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on the Air America radio network. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant district attorney in New York City. He was named one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet.”

Saturday features a talk by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post environmental reporter and auther of the important book, Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives.
For more information on “DePauw Discourse 2007: Sustainability and Global Citizenship,” visit the event’s official Web site or contact Steve Setchell ‘96, assistant to the vice president for development and alumni relations and director of the Annual Fund, at ssetchell@depauw.edu.

If you think this is interesting, check out … A couple similarly ambitious events that explore the intersection of global and local, of taking action and changing the way we live: The People’s Foreign Policy Summit September 22, and Spirit & Place kicking off November 2. Several of the events in November probe more deeply into the role faith plays in making these changes: Can Tzedakah, Tithing, and Zakat Save the World? November 7; Climate Change and Faith Communities November 10; Living Green: Living Generously with Earth and Melting Mountains, Burning Fields: Global Warming, Science and Religion, both on November 12.

Bookmark to:

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Events, Democracy, Domestic politicking, Foreign policy, Religion, Journalism, Climate change, Environment, Energy politics, Film, Technology, Science, Business, Way we live, Education, Globalization, GLOCAL-ization, Poverty, Living Green, Taking action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.