November 5, 2009
Speaker has plan for path to global sustainability
Environmental leader Lester Brown, author of books such as Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge and his latest Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, speaks at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in 130 Kane. The event is free and open to the public.
Brown, described by the Washington Post as “one of the world’s most influential thinkers,” is credited with helping pioneer the concept of sustainable development. In 1974, for example, he launched Worldwatch Institute, said to be one of the first think tanks focused on the condition of the global environment. He went on to found, and is currently president of, the Earth Policy Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Washington, D.C. According to its Web site the institute is “dedicated to building a sustainable future by providing a plan on how to get from here to there.”
That’s also the theme of Brown’s “Plan B” book series, with Plan B 4.0 being the fourth installment. The table of contents lists two main concerns addressed in the book: population pressures on land and water and climate change and the need to transition to different sources of energy. After his lecture he’ll be available to sign copies of the book.
The lecture is being sponsored by the UW Office of Global Affairs, UW College of the Environment, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, World Affairs Council, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Hill & Knowlton and Washington State China Relations Council.
“Lester Brown was thinking about globalization and the fate of the planet long before it became fashionable. To be able to bring a leader of his caliber to the UW campus is an extraordinary opportunity,” says Steve Hanson, the Ellison Professor of political science and vice provost of global affairs.
