This spring the Levitt Center will present several speakers and a faculty forum around its 2003-04 theme "The Environment: Public and Private Responsibility."
Ralph Nader, "Politics and the Environment: Winners and Losers"
Tuesday, February 10, 8 p.m., College Chapel
Nader, a consumer advocate and third party presidential candidate in 2000, has worked arduously over the last 30 years to protect people from corporate abuse and unresponsive government. He was instrumental in the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has helped draft environment focused laws including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Air and Water Pollution Control Laws. The author of a number of best-selling books, Nader has founded a number of citizen groups including student public research interest groups (PIRGs) in more than 20 states. Co-sponsored by the Office of the President.
Alex Kotlowitz, (title TBA)
Wednesday, February 25, 7:30 p.m., Science Auditorium
Kotlowitz a journalist and author of two well-known books that have become public commentaries on public housing projects and community environments as factors in race relations, developmental trajectories for children, and in degrees of support for families. His books, the best-selling There Are No Children Here and The Other Side of the River were both published in the 1990s, and Kotlowitz is a visiting professor at Northwest University in Chicago.
Richard Rhodes, "The Need for Nuclear Power"
Wednesday, March 3, 8 p.m., College Chapel
Author of award-winning books including The Making of the Atom Bomb, Rhodes has been outspoken about the relative environmental advantages of nuclear power. In journals such as Foreign Affairs (2000) he carefully compares the nuclear option to both fossil and renewable systems. In a talk Rhodes expects will raise controversy, Rhodes will make the argument for nuclear power and address issues many see as roadblocks. Co-sponsored by the Office of the President.
Dr. Nina Schoch, DMV The Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program: A New Approach to Wildlife Understanding."
Tuesday, March 30, K-J Red Pit at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Nina Schoch was a veterinarian in the Adirondacks who has given up her practice to devote full time working for The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society. She travels throughout the North Country teaching about work to preserve the wilderness, and specifically about the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program. Co-sponsored by the Dean of Faculty.
"Faculty Forum on Climate Change"
Friday, April 2, time and place TBA
Hamilton College faculty will discuss issues related to climate change and global warming from their varied fields of expertise. Participants will discuss the evidence for global warming, its impact on plant and animal species, the Kyoto Accord, and ethical issues and political options for addressing climate change. This event is co-sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.
Robert Greenstein, "The Future of the Federal Budget"
Monday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. College Chapel
Robert Greenstein is the director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. CBPP is respected for its timely, well-researched papers on federal budget, taxation, income distribution, and social programs. Greenstein is a key Washington player on these issues, frequently quoted in the media.
Panel: "Forum: Governing the Adirondacks"
April 13, 7 p.m., Kirner-Johnson 144 (Red Pit)
What is the future of the Adirondack Park? How is the Park currently governed and how best may the residents of the Park and of the State of New York balance preservation with the economic needs of those living in the Adirondacks? Representatives from the Adirondack Park Agency, the Adirondack Landowners Association, the Adirondack Council, and the New York Blue Line Council will be on hand to address these matters in a roundtable discussion.
