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2008 Spring Speaker Series

2008 Spring Speaker Series.     March 25 – April 22, 2008   Oswald Building Auditorium Cooper Campus       March 25, 6:30-7:45: Jim Embry of the Sustainable Communities Network. Community activist Jim Embry will speak to the momentum behind Lexington’s community gardens, why they are important, how they help build environmental awareness and move our community toward ecological sustainability.   March 27, 6:30-7:45 p.m.: David Matas, immigration and human rights lawyer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Mr. Matas will speak about his investigation into allegations of organ harvesting (and in the process, killing) Falun Gong practitioners in China.   April 3, 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Erin Howard, BCTC Multicultural Affairs. Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Erin Howard will educate her audience about the work of World Vision. This international organization works to lift up the lives of the poor and the oppressed.   April 8, 6:30-7:45: John Walker, UK Biologist. During World War II, in the face of food and other scarcities, Lexington joined towns and cities across the country in growing its own food. The Victory Gardens were a source of pride – and a way to help “win the peace” on the homefront. April 14, 6:30-7:45: Mac Stone, Kentucky Department of Agriculture Manager. Starting in 1999, Kentucky’s tobacco growers began receiving payments to compensate for loss of tobacco quotas and declining demand for their tobacco. Learn about the impact of this infusion of money on Kentucky’s farms and farm families.   April 17, 6:30-7:45: Aloma Dew, Sierra Club. Recently, we learned of our country’s largest recall of meat – 143 million pounds. The inhumane treatment of livestock, the suffering of farmers in Mexico, the use of synthetic pesticides, and nutritional deficiencies are all aspects of Aloma Dew’s thesis – that eating is a moral act.   April 22, 6:30-7:45: Garrett Graddy, UK Geography Graduate Student. The source of our food – the seed – is the topic of this presentation. Open pollinated versus hybrid versus genetically modified seeds and their global distribution result in misery or bounty for those who plant the seed. On Earth Day, come and learn about the political ecology of seed.     Here’s a special event:   April 25, 11:30-2:30: United Nations Association Annual Meeting/Luncheon, UK Goodbarn. Presentation by Sarah Lynn Cunningham - Is Our Carbon Footprint Stomping Out the Developing World's Chances? Kentucky Proud meal, silent auction, international displays. Students $10; All others $25.     text