[lecture] – Chernobyl: The World’s Worst Nuclear Accident

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Tuesday, May 22nd from 5 – 7pm @ Thomson 125 
sponsored by SAGE (Student Association for Green Environments)

Chernobyl – The World’s Worst Nuclear Accident

Twenty six years ago, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and created, according to the United Nations, “The Greatest Environmental Catastrophe in the History of Humanity”. Thousands of square miles were polluted as 190 tons of highly radioactive material were flung into the atmosphere. Many people died, and hundreds of thousands were evacuated in days.  A 30 Km exclusion zone (still in existence) was created around the plant, and the battle began to stabilize the precarious situation before the perilous task of clean-up could begin.
Nearly three decades have passed, and still the exclusion zone is too contaminated for human habitation; the region inside has turned into an unsettling mixture of nuclear dungeon and sanctuary, as some wild species have adapted to the toxic environment and lack of man.

This presentation will describe why the accident happened, how the clean-up was performed, and how things are now.  The session will conclude with a haunting slideshow of photos taken inside the exclusion zone by the presenter.

[lecture] “Elect to End Hunger and Poverty”

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Keith McHenry is an author, activist, and co-founder of the social movement Food Not Bombs. The movement consists of autonomous, consensus-based chapters in hundreds of countries around the globe that recover food, usually vegan, which would otherwise have been wasted by local markets, prepare it, and distribute it freely in public places.

McHenry will speak about his experiences in the evolution of this global movement, its role in historical political actions, and its interactions with state agencies—including McHenry’s frequent arrests for serving food and other nonviolent civil disobedience.

You can access the full flyer here

[event] – Hanford: The World’s Largest Environment Clean-Up Effort

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Hanford: The World’s Largest Environmental Clean-Up Effort

When: Monday, February 27th from 6:30pm-8:00pm
Where: Smith 105 at the University of Washington
What: We invite you to join us to learn more about one of the world’s most complex and difficult cleanup efforts…right in your backyard! Located in the Southeastern part of Washington, the Hanford site is the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site.
Come listen to current University of Washington students and Heart of America Northwest representatives speak about the contamination issue we face today; our local Love Canal. How does this impact your health? How does this impact the land and species around it? What can you do to help?
 
Find out what Hanford means to YOU.
RSVP: Follow this link to Facebook to RSVP your attendance! 

[lecture] – Our Common Future: Sustainable Development in a Deteriorating World

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Our Common Future: Sustainable Development in a Deteriorating World

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland

  • Former Prime Minister of Norway
  • Former Director General, World Health Organization

September 27, 2011   |   6:30 p.m.   |    Meany Hall

More information and registration:

http://www.grad.washington.edu/lectures/gro-brundtland.shtml

An energetic blend of stateswoman, physician, manager, politician and international activist, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland has always led the world on issues of global significance. For more than four decades, she has been dedicated to global interdependence, focusing on promoting sustainable development, increasing environmental awareness and advocating for good health as a basic human right.

Brundtland spent ten years as a physician and scientist, and 20 years in public office, including serving as prime minister of Norway—the first woman, and the youngest person to ever do so. She was chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development, and the first female director-general of the World Health Organization.

Her forward-thinking and global awareness continues to elevate her worldwide profile. She now serves as United Nations special envoy on climate change, seeking ways to balance human enterprise and the planet’s limits. The guiding force behind the “Brundtland Report” on sustainability more than 20 years ago, she maintains her focus on the developmental impact of climate change and global warming.

As a member of The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Brundtland contributes her wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to tackling the world’s toughest problems, aiming to make the world a better place.