One of the world’s largest Earth Charter conferences returns to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh for a week dedicated to the building of a healthy, peaceful and sustainable future for all the planet’s inhabitants.
The annual Earth Charter Community Summit will be held Oct. 11-16. Events will feature a variety of topics and guest speakers, including Susan Loomans, author of “Global Warming Challenges and Solutions,” Dani Stolley, chair of the Energy and Environment Advisory Board for the City of Oshkosh, and Andrew Rowan, author of “Beastly Attitudes.”
“We all make decisions that help or harm our own communities and the wider world,” said Andrew Robson, assistant dean of the College of Letters and Science (COLS), who first brought the summit to UW Oshkosh in 2001. “The Earth Charter is a unifying and optimistic document that offers ethical guidelines for the greater good, but it takes individuals — students, staff, faculty and the community — to take action.”
The public is encouraged to be a part of the Earth Charter Community Summit. All events are free. The complete schedule of events can be found at www.uwosh.edu/earthcharter. Some events include the following:
Oct. 11
- 6th-Annual Roseanne Hoefel Diversity Run/Walk/Roll
8 a.m.
Trail will include Wisconsin Avenue bridge’s new tunnel; start at Student Recreation and Wellness Center, 735 Pearl Ave.; contact Jenni Kundinger, (920) 424-3464.
- Global Climate Change Summit
10 a.m.; 11:45 a.m.
Three speakers from Tampa, Fla., followed live, Web-based visits to communities around the U.S. and the world to hear about responses to climate change (11:45 a.m.); Oshkosh Mayor Frank Tower will speak about the city’s response, and the University sustainability program will be highlighted; lunch will be available; Reeve Ballroom, 748 Algoma Blvd.; contact Andy Robson, (920) 424-7273.
Oct. 13
- ‘Global Warming Challenges and Solutions’
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Susan Loomas, climatologist and environmental scientist, will speak about her studies of climate change in places ranging from the Midwest to Antarctica; reception at 6:30 p.m., speaker at 7 p.m.; Room 227, Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.; contact Andy Robson, (920) 424-7273.
Oct. 14
- ‘Beastly Attitudes’
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Andrew Rowan, senior vice president of research, education and international issues for the U.S. Humane Society, will speak; reception at 6:30 p.m., speaker at 7 p.m.; Room 227, Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.; Andy Robson, (920) 424-7273.
Oct. 15
- ‘Out of the Barrio’
6:30-8:30 p.m.
High-energy motivational speaker Stephanie Elizondo Griest, foreign correspondent, human rights activist and author, describes how she combated racial, gender and cultural stereotypes during her travels; reception at 6:30 p.m., speaker at 7 p.m.; Room 227, Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.; contact Andy Robson (920) 424-7273.
Oct. 16
- Earth Charter Banquet and Awards
6:30 p.m.
Christine Bader, Advisor to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights, will present “The Sustainability of Globalization: Business and Human Rights,” addressing the current debate of the business world’s role in human rights; Room 201, Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.; contact Andy Robson, (920) 424-7273.
Photo: Mayor Tower signs the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which sets mandates for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Oshkosh and greater community, at last year’s Earth Charter Summit. At least a dozen representatives from other Wisconsin cities have signed the agreement.
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