Dinner and workshop w/ Int'l environmental leaders |
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21 June 2006 ATTENTION: Environment writers and editors |
Contact:
Liese Greensfelder, Media Relations
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WHAT
Two opportunities for journalists to meet and mingle with environmental leaders from around the world who are participating in the three-week Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
The 40 leaders have initiated projects in countries including Nigeria, India and Indonesia that include rainwater harvesting, social forestry and sustainable agriculture.
WHEN
A welcome reception and buffet dinner for the leaders will be held Sunday, June 25, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., on the patio at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft Way, Berkeley. Reporters are welcome, but this event is not open to the public due to limited space.
A sustainability workshop, "Population, Poverty and the Environment," will be held Tuesday, June 27, from 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. in the Great Hall at International House. Reporters may speak with program participants during morning and lunch breaks.
WHO
Among the environmental problem-solvers from around the world will be:
- Kofo Adeleke with Community Conservation and Development Initiatives, a Nigerian non-governmental organization that has developed projects on rainwater harvesting, social forestry and renewable energy, child-friendly school initiatives and environmental education.
- Aman Singh, founder of an organization for ecology and agricultural development in Rajasthan, India, that promotes sustainable agricultural practices and livelihoods for rural communities.
- Rudi Fajar, with the pulp and paper producer APRIL, who is responsible for this controversial company's community development and social infrastructure support initiatives in Indonesia.
- Joel Cohen, director of Columbia and Rockefeller universities' Laboratory of Populations, is a renowned expert on population and sustainable development and author of "How Many People Can the Earth Support?" Cohen will lead the sustainability workshop.
DETAILS
The Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program is an intensive, hands-on summer training program at UC Berkeley for mid-career environmental leaders from developed and developing nations. It is now in its sixth year.
The June 24-July 15 course will include workshops on topics including environmental management and policy; clean energy options; leadership for sustainable development; population, poverty and the environment; and conflict management.