The Chicago area, despite its urban character, is home to significant biodiversity. Situated at the intersection of the northern boreal forest, prairie, savanna, and dune environments, Chicago is a crossroads for more than just our own species. Here the great eastern tallgrass prairies met oak-hickory woodlands as well as wetlands, savannas, swamps, and other associations, forming a complex mosaic of environments. The long history of human habitation in this region has significantly transformed local environments, but not all pre-contact environments have vanished and local efforts at restoration and conservation have begun to make a significant difference in the extent and health of indigenous plants and animals. Our logo is derived from the Hickory (Carya); local oak-hickory forests are dominated by Shagbark Hickory (C. ovata) and Bitternut Hickory (C. cordiformis).A conference in honor of Ted Steck's retirement
Saturday, May 10, 2008 • 9:30-4:00pm
Stuart Hall, Room 102
5838 S. Greenwood Ave.
Ted Steck has been concerned with environmental problems for many years. In 1994, he founded the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Chicago. And since 2000 he has taught a course entitled “Is Development Sustainable?” in collaboration with a succession of colleagues. It therefore seems fitting that the issue of sustainable development should serve as the theme for this conference in honor of his retirement.
Keynote Address
Friday, May 9 • 4:30 PM
Stuart Hall, Room 105
To open this event, Dr. Robert Repetto, Professor in the Practice of Economics and Sustainable Development at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, will deliver a keynote address entitled "Is Development Sustainable? — Not Even Close." A reception will follow the talk.
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The environmental crisis will be one of the defining issues for the twenty-first century. While our unique human abilities have enabled us to flourish, we have at the same time increasingly negatively impacted the natural world that sustains us. We now find ourselves at a turning point in history, where economic growth, environmental integrity, and equitable development are converging on a global scale. In this conference, this crucial nexus will be explored from a variety of different disciplinary perspectives.
Conference presenters include Murat Arsel, Angela Gugliotta, Breena Holland, Ron Meyers, Leigh Raymond, and Sarah Fleisher Trainor.
A complimentary lunch will be served to all attendees.
This conference is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by the Program on the Global Environment, Center for International Studies, University of Chicago.
For more information about the conference, or to request a disability-related accommodation, please contact Dean Clason at 773-702-1673 or clason@uchicago.edu
