|
Environmentalist Lester Brown to speak at ConvocationEnvironmentalist Lester R. Brown, described as "the guru of the environmental movement" and "one of the world's most influential thinkers," will join the University of Rhode Island as it kicks off its new academic year and inaugurates its fall honors colloquium series, "A Just and Sustainable Future: Overcoming Barriers to Action" on Sept. 12. (See schedule on page 8). Brown will speak on "Building an Eco-Economy for the Earth" during URI's Convocation ceremonies in Edwards Auditorium, starting at 3 p.m. The annual event, which is free and open to the public, also features the URI Foundation's presentation of teaching, research, administrative, and staff excellence awards to members of the University's community. Brown has come a long way from his first job growing tomatoes on a southern New Jersey farm. Now as founder, president, and senior researcher for the Earth Policy Institute, Brown leads a mission to provide a vision of an environmentally sustainable economy. The journey from farmer to global environmental leader has been marked by many accomplishments along the way. After earning a degree in agricultural science from Rutgers University in 1955 and spending the next six months in rural India, Brown began a 14-year career with the U.S. Government's Dept. of Agriculture. During these years, Brown served as an international agricultural analyst, adviser to Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman on foreign agricultural policy, and administrator of the department's International Agricultural Development Service. At the beginning of 1969, Brown left government to help establish the Overseas Development Council. He then founded the Worldwatch Institute in 1974, which became a research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. In 1984, Brown launched the State of the World reports, annual assessments translated into 30 languages that have become the bible of the global environmental movement. Four years later, Brown expanded Worldwatch's publications by launching World Watch, a bimonthly magazine featuring articles on the Institute's research. In May 2001, he founded his newest venture: Earth Policy Institute. In addition to numerous magazine and journal articles and papers, Brown has authored or co-authored 18 books, in addition to three book series. Brown, a MacArthur Fellow, has been awarded 22 honorary degrees. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 1987 United Nations' Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature Gold Medal, and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize. He was selected as one of 50 Great Americans in the 1995 edition of Marquis Who's Who. He also serves on dozens of committees. In addition to his degree from Rutgers University, Brown earned a masters' of science degree from the University of Maryland, and a masters' of public administration from Harvard University. Brown's visit is sponsored by URI's Office of the President and the University of Rhode Island Foundation. By Jennifer Smith |
|
