Lecture: Moving People, Produce, and Policy
Environmental Actions at the State and Local Levels are Going Green
25.10.2013 16:30 – 18:00
Venue: Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Leopoldstr. 11a
Organizers: Rachel Carson Center in co-operation with the US Consulate General Munich and the Bayerisch-Amerikanisches Zentrum München
From a distance, it may seem as if the United States is not moving forward with regard to sustainable practices. However, a closer look at actions being taken at the state and local levels gives a much different picture. Exciting changes are taking place, not just in coastal cities like New York and Seattle, which are known to be progressive, but also in the more conservative Midwest. From the farm-to-school movement and school gardens to trails as commuter corridors and “urban cable,” citizens, NGOs, schools, and local officials are taking action to combat climate change and make their communities more healthy and livable.
So what is driving these changes? There are several major trends in the United States today: frustration with elected officials in Congress, including the continuing debate over the veracity of science; a desire to live “closer to the land;” and the influence of young people. These trends are coming together in a way that is transforming the United States, community by community.
Speaker: Shari L. Wilson, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE)
Commentator: Don Worster, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society
Shari is an ecologist and environmental educator. She currently works for the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) as statewide partnerships and planning director. She is in charge of strategic planning, the annual Kansas Environmental Education Conference, and numerous grant projects as well as KACEE's new Kansas Green Schools Program. Shari also serves as vice-chair of the Kansas Wildlife & Parks Commission and on the boards of the Kansas Humanities Council and Kansas Historical Society. She was the recipient of the Conservation Achievements Program's Educator of the Year Award for 2009, given by the Kansas Wildlife Federation.
Register for free entrance by phone on 089 2888 626 or by email to MunichPA@state.gov.