Greenfire

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Earth Day Presentation Features Native American Author, Environmentalist Winona LaDuke

Native American author and environmental activist Winona LaDuke explores how connections to the land can help move societies and economies forward to a better environmental future in a Lawrence University Earth Week presentation.  LaDuke’s address, Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in Youngchild Hall 121, is free and open to the public.

Winona LaDuke
Winona LaDuke

A  member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg who lives and works on the White Earth Reservations in Northern Minnesota, LaDuke has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues, including 2011’s “The Militarization of Indian Country,” “Recovering the Sacred: the Power of Naming and Claiming” and “All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life.”

LaDuke is the co-founder of Honor the Earth, a Native American-led organization that seeks to break the geographic and political isolation of Native communities and increase financial resources for organizing and change.

Time Magazine named LaDuke one of America’s 50 most promising leaders under the age of 40 in 1994 and Ms. Magazine honored her as its 1998 “Woman of the Year” for her work with Honor the Earth.

A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, LaDuke served as Ralph Nader’s vice presidential running mate on the Green Party ticket in the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections.

Her appearance is sponsored by the student organization Greenfire and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Consumer Rights Advocate Ralph Nader Speaks at Lawrence University April 25

Ralph Nader, America’s most renowned consumer rights crusader, closes Lawrence University’s celebration of Earth Week Sunday, April 25 with the address “The Great Conversion: Environmentalism over Corporatism.” Nader’s presentation, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton, is free and open to the public.

A question-and-answer session follows his address and he will be available to sign books before and after the presentation.

Ralph-Nader_web
Ralph Nader

Honored by The Atlantic magazine as “One of the 100 Most Influential Figures in American History,” Nader has devoted his life to giving ordinary people the tools they need to defend themselves against corporate negligence and government indifference.

A three-time presidential candidate ( 2000, 2004, 2008), Nader first rose to national prominence following the 1965 publication of his book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” an indictment of the American automobile industry for what he saw as unsafe car designs. Considered a catalyst in the consumer’ rights movement, the book led to the passage of significant safety laws designed to prevent motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries.

Nader was an influential figure in the organization of numerous citizen groups, among them Congress Watch, the Disability Rights Center and the Public Interest Research Groups, all of which played roles in the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Nader has written several best-selling books in addition to “Unsafe at Any Speed,” including “Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President,” “Children First: A Parents Guide to Fighting Corporate Predators” and most recently “The Good Fight: Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap.”

He also writes a weekly column, “In the Public Interest,” which runs in newspapers throughout the country and was the subject of the documentary “An Unreasonable Man.”

Nader’s appearance is sponsored by the student environmental organization Greenfire and supported by The Class of 1965 Grant.

Lawrence University Finishes Ninth in National Recycling Competition

Through a concerted campus-wide effort to reduce its waste production, Lawrence University finished ninth among 346 schools in the recently completed 2010 national RecycleMania competition’s per capita classic division.

Lawrence was the division’s top finisher among 14 Wisconsin colleges with an average of 44.65 pounds of recyclables per person, more than double the next closest state school (St. Norbert College, 20.48 lbs. per person). The U.S. Coast Guard Academy won the category’s national title with an average of 81.75 pounds per person.

The 10-week-long competition is a benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities.

Brit Oleson, president of the student environmental organization Greenfire, coordinated Lawrence’s first venture into the RecycleMania competition. She said Lawrence’s strong initial showing was truly a team effort.

“Credit goes to the many members of the Lawrence community who recycled wisely and consciously reduced their personal waste production,” said Oleson. “Our combined efforts over the course of the contest helped divert nearly 115,000 pounds of recyclable materials from ending up in landfills. I hope Recyclemania made members of the Lawrence community realize that even our small campus can have a substantial impact on the environment and the little things we choose to do on a personal basis from day-to-day can and do make a difference.

“A giant ‘thank you’ goes to people in facility services, Campus Life, Bon Appetit and members of Greenfire who all pulled together to help make our first year in this contest a big success,” Oleson added.

RecycleMania was first conducted in 2001 between Miami University and Ohio University. The 2010 competition included a record 607 colleges and universities across the United States, Canada and as far away as Qatar. Schools could participate in four categories:
• Grand Champion, which combined trash and core recyclable materials to determine a school’s recycling rate as a percentage of its overall waste generation.

• Per Capita Classic, which measured the combined amount of paper, cardboard and bottles and cans per person.

• Waste Minimization, which measured the least amount of municipal solid waste (recyclables and trash) per person.

• Gorilla Prize, which calculated the highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, bottles and cans during the 10-week competition, regardless of campus population.