- Monday, May 1, 2017
- 3:30 PM–4:45 PM
- Chapel Sanctuary
Special lecture by Dr. Robert D. Bullard, the Father of Environmental Justice
Climate change is the defining global environmental justice, human rights and public health issue of the twenty-first century. The most vulnerable populations will suffer the earliest and most damaging setbacks because of where they live, their limited income and economic means, and their lack of access to health care. Climate Justice means empowering vulnerable populations, identifying climate “hot-spot” zones and designing fair, just and effective adaptation, mitigation, and emergency management and community resilience strategies.
About the speaker
Robert D. Bullard is often described as the father of environmental justice. Professor Bullard received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University. He is the author of eighteen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth, and regional equity. He has testified as an expert witness and served as a technical advisor on hundreds of civil rights lawsuits and public hearings over the past three decades. In 1990, he was the first environmental justice scholar to receive the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Conservation Achievement Award in Science for “Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality.” Professor Bullard was featured in the July 2007 CNN People You Should Know, Bullard: Green Issue is Black and White. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of 13 Environmental Leaders of the Century. And that same year, Co-op America honored him with its Building Economic Alternatives Award (BEA). In 2010, The Grio named him one of the “100 Black History Makers in the Making” and Planet Harmony named him one of Ten African American Green Heroes.” In 2012, he was featured in Welcomebooks Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time by Katrina Fried. In 2013, he was honored with the Sierra Club John Muir Award, the first African American to win the award. In 2014, the Sierra Club named its new Environmental Justice Award after Dr. Bullard. And in 2015, the Iowa State University Alumni Association named him its Alumni Merit Award recipient—an award also given to George Washington Carver (1894 ISU alum) in 1937; and the same year he was honored with the American Bar Association 2015 Award for Excellence in Environmental, Energy, and Resources Stewardship.
This special event is co-sponsored by the Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview, Center for Community Engagement and Global Learning (CCEGL), the Provost's Sustainability Initiative.
About the Just Citizenship series
This series has been organized by the Dean for Research and Scholarship under the Provost's Faith and Citizenship Initiative.
What does it mean for Christians to think deeply and act justly in this time of political uncertainty? Just Citizenship is a weekly series of interdisciplinary lectures and panel discussions addressing current issues and asking how Christians can work for renewal in society. Join us in the Chapel each Monday at 3:30 during the spring semester; all of these events are free and open to the public. Find out more about the series and related events.
The Just Citizenship series has been approved for State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH) in the state of Michigan. For every forum you attend, you can earn one clock hour of SCECH credit for certificate renewal. For more information and a SCECH application form, please visit our homepage for the series.
