Lecture Series
In keeping with the Ethics/Religion and Society Focus' purpose of encouraging the ethical and religious analysis of socially significant issues, Xavier University has established a lecture series to bring to campus prominent intellectuals and public leaders having diverse perspectives on a specific issue. The speakers present a public lecture or presentation, followed by discussion and a reception. A discussion with Xavier faculty, staff, and students is usually held on the following day.
View prior Lecture Series events »
E/RS Lecture Series 2010-2011
Ecology and Sustainability: Green Urbanism
Co-Sponsored by the City of Cincinnati and the
University of Cincinnati's President's Advisory Council
on Environment and Sustainability
Will Allen, Sunday, September 26, 2010, 7:00 pm
“Growing Power and the Urban Farming Revolution"
Co-sponsored by the Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, the Civic Garden Center and the Central Ohio River Valley Local Foods Initiative
Will Allen is an urban farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production and delivery of healthy foods in urban areas. In 1995, while assisting neighborhood children with a gardening project, Allen began developing the farming methods and
educational programs that are the hallmark of Growing Power, the non-profit organization he directs and cofounded.
Allen’s work recognizes that health problems prevalent in urban populations, such as obesity and diabetes, often stem from limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Through low-cost farming technologies, Growing Power produces vast amounts of food year-round on two acres of land within Milwaukee’s city limits. He is the recipient of a 2008 MacArthur Genius Award.
William McDonough, Monday, October 25, 2010, 7:00 pm
"Cradle to Cradle--Designing a Hopeful Future with Inspiration from Living Systems"
Sponsored by the Brueggeman Center for Dialogue; Co-sponsored by E/RS
Renowned designer William McDonough draws inspiration from the astonishing effectiveness of regenerative living
systems to envision an environmentally and economically intelligent future. He is the author of Hannover Principles:
Design for Sustainability and co-author with Michael Braungart of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make
Things. McDonough is alumni research professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business
Administration and consulting professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. He is also
U.S. chairman of the Board of Councilors of the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development. In 1996, he received
the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, and in 1999 and 2007 Time magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet.
Michael Brownlee and Karen Lanphear, Sunday, November 7, 2010, 7:00 pm
"Transition Towns--Inspiring Pathways to Community Resilience"
Brownlee and Lanphear are leaders in the U.S. Transition Town movement, which aims to transition cities from fossil fuels. The movement originated in the United Kingdom in response to the converging global crises of climate change, economic instability, diminishing biodiversity and declining reserves of fossil fuels. It emphasizes the importance of using creativity and cooperation to unleash the collective genius within our local communities, leading to a more resilient, abundant, connected and healthier future for all. Brownlee is co-founder of Transition Boulder County Colorado, the first Transition initiative in North America. Lanphear is the co-founder of Sandpoint Transition in Idado, the second-oldest Transition initiative in the U.S.
Richard Louv, Sunday, March 27, 2011, 7:00 pm
"Last Child in the Woods--Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder"
Co-sponsored by the Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Center
Richard Louv is an author and journalist focused on nature, family and community. His book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, stimulated an international conversation about the future relationship between children and nature. He serves as the chairman of the Children and Nature Network, which encourages and supports people and organizations worldwide working to reconnect children with nature. The network provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers, parents, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being.
Jackie Brookner, Sunday, April 10, 2011, 7:00 pm
"On the Waterfront--Living Cities, Water and Expanded Art Practice"
Co-sponsored by the Department of Art
Jackie Brookner collaborates with ecologists, design professionals, communities and policy makers to create water remediation systems for wetlands, rivers, streams and stormwater runoff that are works of public art. Her biosculptures are evocative, plant-based living systems that clean polluted water and integrate ecological revitalization with the metaphoric and aesthethic qualities of sculpture. Her recent projects include Laughing Brook in Salway Park in Cincinnati, part of the Millcreek Restoration Project. She is a contributing author to Urban Rain: Stormwater as Resource and a former teaching fellow at Harvard University.
OF RELATED INTEREST:
October 15-17, 2010
Bioneers Conference on Green Urbanism
Sponsored by the Brueggeman Center for Dialogue;
Co-sponsored by E/RS
The keystone goals of the Bioneers are to connect people with solutions by popularizing breakthrough ideas and practices and to grow social capital by catalyzing, connecting and strengthening strategic networks. A live stream of the national Bioneers Conference will be complemented by local workships. For more information, contact the Brueggeman Center at 513-745-3922.
Unless otherwise noted, all lectures are held in the Schiff Family Conference Room at the Cintas Center and are free and open to the public.