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August 25, 2000
RELEASE ON RECEIPT
NATIONALLY-NOTED ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS CONVENE AT OBERLIN COLLEGE TO DISCUSS "THE ECOLOGY OF THE SECOND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION"
Sept. 16 Symposium is Centerpiece of Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies Dedication
OBERLIN, OH--"The Ecology of the Second Industrial Revolution," a symposium featuring a panel of nationally renowned environmental leaders, is the centerpiece of a weekend long series of events marking the dedication of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College. The activities begin with a dedication ceremony Friday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. and conclude with the symposium Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon.
ABC News Special Correspondent Robert Krulwich (OC ’69) is moderator of the symposium, which features these panelists:
- Ray Anderson, founder, chairman and CEO of Interface, Inc.;
- Janine Benyus, life sciences writer and the author of Biomimicry;
- Dr. Peter P. Bihuniak, vice-president of technology, BP Solar
- Denis Hayes, international chair of Earth Day 2000;
- William McDonough,
FAIA, founding principal of
William McDonough + Partners, Architects and Planners; - David Orr, professor
and chair, environmental studies program, Oberlin
The symposium takes its title from the idea, articulated by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart in The Atlantic Monthly, that we are on the threshold of designing industrial systems that work like ecosystems. Such systems would be powered by sunlight, preserve diversity, and discharge no waste. The Lewis Center has been designed with these principles in mind.
McDonough will also deliver an address--"A Building Like a Tree: Turning Over a New Leaf"-- Friday, Sept. 15, at 8:30 p.m.
Among those making remarks at the 4 p.m. dedication ceremony on Friday are Thomas J. Klutznick, chairman of the board of trustees of Oberlin College, and Kenneth L. Smith, deputy chief of staff for Secretary Bruce Babbitt in the U. S. Department of the Interior [DOI]. Smith will talk briefly about the significance of the Lewis Center and Oberlin's valuable contributions to the important field of environmental studies. He will also discuss the DOI's key energy and environmental initiatives. Smith was recently asked by Secretary Babbitt and President Bill Clinton to serve as acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks.
All events take place at the Lewis Center, located at 122 Elm Street, Oberlin, Ohio and although the dedication ceremony, campus address and symposium are free and open to the public, seating is limited.
Construction of Phase I of the Lewis Center, one of the most advanced examples of ecological architecture in the United States and a recipient of two architectural awards, was completed in January 2000. Lead architect McDonough-- working with a team of environmental experts--designed the building so that it would evolve and change over time, and take advantage of technological advances. The $7.2 million facility is home to Oberlin's interdisciplinary environmental studies program, one of the fastest growing academic programs at the historic liberal arts college.
Oberlin College Professor of Environmental Studies David Orr, the visionary behind the Lewis Center, says that the building itself represents an effort to teach environmental ethics.
"The curriculum embedded in any building instructs as fully and as effectively as any course taught in it," Orr says. "More than a building where teaching takes place, the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies is a place that teaches."
Oberlin students have been involved in every aspect of this building--from discussing how its design ought to reflect the philosophy and goals of the environmental studies program to maintaining its Living Machine to planting the indigenous flora dotting its landscape. Orr's overarching goal for their scholarship was that the building should teach them, among other things:
- ecological
competence and mindfulness of place; competence with
environmental technologies; - analytical skills in assessing full costs over the building’s lifetime;
- and
how nature’s principle that "waste equals food"--one
of the tenets
of "the second industrial revolution"-- can be successfully adapted for
manufacturing processes and building materials.
For more information about the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, please visit http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/esc/Default.html.
Media Contact: Marci
Janas
8/25/00 #11 mj
Please send comments, questions, and suggestions about Oberlin Online news and feature articles to online.news@oberlin.edu.
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