Christine Todd Whitman, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will discuss energy and environmental sustainability Oct. 14 when she delivers the second lecture in the 2010-11 season of the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues.
Whitman will present "Staying Ahead While Going Green," at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The lecture, sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Council, is this year's Governor's Lecture in the Humanities.
Environmental issues tend to be complicated, require a long time to solve and don't gain anything through shortsighted policy, said Mace Hack, state director of the Nature Conservancy.
"As a Nebraskan, you are affected every day by environmental policy - the food you eat, the water you drink, the air you breathe," he said. "We're all in this together and we need good policies to make sure that those resources are there for future generations."
Whitman served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as administrator of the EPA from January 2001 until June 2003. She was New Jersey's first female governor from 1994 until 2001. Today, she is president of the Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm that strives to help businesses, organizations and governments find innovative solutions to environmental challenges.
As governor, Whitman earned praise for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. The Natural Resources Defense Council also recognized her for instituting the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation.
As EPA administrator, she promoted common-sense environmental improvements such as watershed-based water protection policies. She championed regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent. She also established the first federal program to promote redevelopment and reuse of previously contaminated industrial sites.
To reserve free tickets, call the Lied Center at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231. Free tickets may also be picked up in person or ordered by downloading a form from the Thompson Forum website, http://enthompson.unl.edu.
Thompson Forum lectures will be available live online at http://www.unl.edu, as well as on Lincoln TimeWarner Cable Channel 21 or 5, NETSAT 105, UNL campus Channel 8 and UNL's KRNU radio (90.3 FM). Live satellite broadcasts and follow-up discussion will be available in Kearney, Hastings, Columbus, McCook, North Platte, Omaha and Scottsbluff.
The series, established in 1988, is a cooperative project of the philanthropic Cooper Foundation, the Lied Center and UNL. It aims to offer all Nebraskans a better understanding of world events and issues.
- Jean Ortiz Jones, University Communications
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/viu