By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Amory B. Lovins. Photo by Judy Hill.
With Americans reeling from record oil and gas costs this year, the Harriet Elliott Lecture Series will feature energy and resources strategist Amory B. Lovins as keynote speaker for an examination of the timely topic “Are We Energized?: Politics, Energy and the Environment.”
The programs are Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 15-16. All events are free and open to the public.
Lovins, who is co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colo., will speak on “Are We Energized?: Winning the Oil Endgame” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Science Building Lecture Hall. He will focus on America’s oil dependency, related politics and the need for new energy strategies.
A series of discussions on topics relating to “Politics, Energy and the Environment in North Carolina,” with Lovins as moderator, will follow Wednesday morning in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. All events are being coordinated by the Department of Political Science, 336-334-5989. For directions, visit our online maps of the campus.
An experimental physicist educated at Harvard and Oxford, Lovins co-founded the Rocky Mountain Institute in 1982 and serves as its chief executive officer. He rose to prominence during the oil crises of the 1970s when, still in his 20s, he challenged conventional supply-side theories by urging that the United States instead follow a “soft energy path.” His controversial recommendations were eventually accepted by the energy industry, and his book, “Soft Energy Paths: Toward a Durable Peace” (1977) went on to inspire a generation of decision-makers.
Lovins’ work today focuses on transforming the automobile, real estate, electricity, water, semiconductor and other manufacturing sectors toward advanced resource productivity. He has received a MacArthur Fellowship and been honored with the Heinz, Lindbergh and Right Livelihood awards, and six honorary doctorates. He has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide, briefed 16 heads of state, held several visiting academic chairs and authored or co-authored 27 books. The Wall Street Journal named him one of 39 people world-wide “most likely to change the course of business” in the 1990s.
“This year’s programs will address some of the most critical energy issues facing our region, state and nation,” said program coordinator Dr. Ruth DeHoog, head of UNCG’s Department of Political Science. “Amory Lovins and our other speakers will focus on questions of how we should respond to the emerging energy problem. We hope area leaders and members of the community will join us for a thought-provoking discussion of the key policies and strategies needed to ensure that we do not suffer crippling energy shortages in the future.”
The Wednesday sessions in the EUC Auditorium are:
? 9 a.m., “Transportation and Land Use Planning,” by Dr. Keith Debbage, UNCG professor of geography.
? 10 a.m., “Air Quality in the Triad,” with Ginger Booker, assistant director of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.
? 11 a.m., “Urban Sprawl,” with David Godschalk, professor emeritus, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning.
The Elliott Lectures are held annually in honor of Harriet W. Elliott (1884-1947), who served from 1913-47 at the institution that is now UNCG. She was a professor of political science and served as dean of women from 1935 until her death in 1947. Elliott University Center was named in her memory.
