Green Month Lecture Series

Green Month Sustainability Lecture Series

Sponsored by:

The University of Utah Office of Sustainability

And

The Swaner EcoCenter

NOTE:  Please RSVP for lectures to Cheri Daily at cheri.daily@utah.edu, 801.581.5926

ALL LECTURES AT SWANER ECOCENTER

1258 Center Drive

Park City, UT 84098

Thursday, October 8^th – 6:30 pm

Dirty Little Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth

Jim Steenburgh

Professor and Chair

Department of Atmospheric Sciences

The University of Utah

Tom Painter

Assistant Professor

Department of Geography

The University of Utah

Peter Metcalf

CEO/President

Black Diamond Equipment

Is there really anything special about Utah snow and is the Greatest Snow on Earth really doomed from global warming? University of Utah professors and "certified powder snobs" Jim Steenburgh and Tom Painter examine the real reasons why Utah powder skiing is so incredible and evaluate the threat posed to Utah snow by climate change. With a wide range of projections for how quickly winter temperatures and precipitation change, as well as enhanced snowmelt due to dust in the snow, the answers are more complex than you might think.

Thursday, October 15^th – 6:30 pm

“Is Your House a Hummer?”

Ryan Smith

Professor

Department of Atmospheric Sciences

University of Utah

Kent Udell

Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Director, University of Utah Sustainability Research Center

University of Utah

Myron Willson

Director, University of Utah Office of Sustainability

University of Utah

Advances in architectural design and mechanical engineering can radically reduce the amount of energy your home consumes.  Join us for an evening dedicated to advances in design and energy systems. 

Thursday, October 22^th – 7:00 pm

"Why Energy and Environmental Law Have Nothing to Do With Each Other . . . And Why That Must Change"

Lincoln Davies

Associate Professor

S.J. Quinney College of Law

The University of Utah

The historical disjoint between energy law and environmental law  is made evident by energy law's overriding focus on securing large fuel supplies at cheap costs and environmental law's quite unrelated objective of mitigating pollution and health risk.  This talk will discuss how this historical disjoint has been perpetuated, how it fails to make sense, and some ways in which we can begin to change it.  Energy and the environment are really flip sides of the same question.  We should treat them as such, not as though they don't affect each other.

Thursday, October 29^th – 6:30 pm

"Actions Count:  Moving from Good Intentions to Sustainable Behavior "

Julia Corbett

Professor

Department of Communication/College of Humanities

The University of Utah

Many people profess an appreciation of the natural world and a desire to protect it, but their actions don’t match that.  Why the disconnect?  Is it a lack of knowledge, expense, choices, or something else? We’ll explore the relationships between beliefs, attitudes, and environmentally responsibly behaviors and how and when these are consistent and not.  We’ll discuss not just individual behaviors, but how a holistic view of behavior change is more realistic and successful in producing environmentally responsible behaviors.  .