Top Climate Change Activist Launches Casper Lecture Series

September 5, 2008
Man smiling
Rocky Anderson

One of the world's top activists on climate change (according to Business Week) will speak from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, in the Wheeler Auditorium, Room 103 of the Wold Physical Science Center at Casper College. The lecture is free and open to public.

Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's lecture on "Climate Change and the Leadership Imperative" will kick off this year's free public lecture series sponsored in Casper every fall by the University of Wyoming Helga and Otto Haub School and William Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, the UW/Casper College Center and the UW Outreach School.

The Natrona County Commission will also hold a public workshop discussion on the how-to of dealing with climate change for local government at 4 p.m. at the county courthouse, before the night event.

Anderson, mayor of Salt Lake City from 2000-2008, led the city to achieve a nearly one-third reduction in municipal government greenhouse gas emissions -- and significant budget savings.

Mark Barron, mayor of Jackson, where municipal government is working on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission issues, will join Anderson in the series kickoff talk.

The two local government leaders will give an update on the latest understanding of climate change, along with how-to advice on the everyday challenges of climate change and the money local governments can save via energy efficiency efforts.

The talks will launch the new lecture and discussion series, "Climate Change in Carbon Central -- Developing Strategies in Wyoming," presented by the University of Wyoming/CC Center. Among the featured speakers in the rest of the series this fall are Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Jim Posewitz, executive director of Orion: The Hunter's Institute and a renowned speaker on hunting issues.

The central theme of the UW series is how climate change is part of almost every familiar issue in Wyoming -- from affordable housing to hunting and fishing -- and how addressing those issues from a climate change perspective may provide new ways to solve persistent problems, said series organizer Anne MacKinnon. Ways Wyoming people can work to slow the course of climate change and to adapt to changes already under way will be the focus of six evenings of talks, MacKinnon said.

All talks are from 7-9 p.m. in the Wheeler Auditorium, Room 103 of the Wold Physical Science Center. The series schedule:

Sept. 11, Wyoming Cities and Towns (speakers: Anderson and Barron).

Sept. 25, Workforce Housing (speakers: Mark Woolley, developer of a project in Rawlins; and Scott Kane, owner of Creative Energies renewable energy company in Lander).

Oct. 9, Hunting and Fishing (speakers: Posewitz; and Steve Jackson, UW botany professor).

Oct. 23, Paying the Bills (speakers: Howard Geller, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project; and Mary Byrnes, member of the Wyoming Public Service Commission).

Nov. 6, Kids (speakers: Scott Beall, innovative 7th grade science teacher, New York State; and Craig Sorenson, superintendent of Sweetwater County School District #2).

Nov. 20, State Finances (speaker: Gov. Dave Freudenthal, schedule permitting).

All talks will be downloadable starting the next morning after each event, from the UW Web site: http://outreach.uwyo.edu/ocp/podcasting.asp

For more information, call the UW/CC Center at (307) 268-2713 or (877) 264-9930; or check the UW/CC Web site, at www.uwyo.edu/uwcc.

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