Noted Environmentalist to Discuss Hurricane Katrina
September 16, 2005
David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, will give a public lecture, “Learning from Katrina: Design as a Healing Profession,” at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, in Schwab Auditorium on the Penn State University Park campus. Orr is the Department of Landscape Architecture’s 2005 Bracken Fellow.
Orr is best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his recent work in ecological design. He raised funds for and spearheaded the effort to design and build a $7.2 million Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College, a building described by the New York Times as “the most remarkable” of a new generation of college buildings and selected as one of 30 “milestone buildings in the 20th century” by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Orr is the author of four books: The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror (Island Press, 2004); The Nature of Design (Oxford, 2002); Earth in Mind (Island, 1994/2004);and Ecological Literacy (SUNY, 1992) and co-editor of The Global Predicament (North Carolina, 1979) and The Campus and Environmental Responsibility (Jossey-Bass, 1992). He has published 120 articles in scientific journals, social science publications and popular magazines. He has lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the United States.
He was named one of 25 “Environmental Champions for 2004” by Interiors & Sources Magazine. Other honors include a Bioneers Award in 2002 and a National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation in 1993. He holds three honorary doctorates and has been a distinguished scholar in residence at Ball State University (1995) and Westminster College in Salt Lake City (1996). In a special citation, the Connecticut General Assembly noted Orr’s “vision, dedication and personal passion” in promoting the principles of sustainability. The Cleveland Plain Dealer described him as “one of those who will shape our lives.”
Orr is contributing editor of Conservation Biology. He has been a trustee of the Educational Foundation of America and the Compton Foundation. He serves on the boards of several environmental organizations and is also an advisor and consultant to the Trust for Public Land and the National Parks Advisory Committee, among others. A native of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, he holds a B.A. from Westminster College (1965), a M.A. from Michigan State University (1966) and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania (1973).
Orr’s lecture is sponsored by the Department of Landscape Architecture. For more information, call 865-9511.
NOTE TO EDITORS: David Orr is available for phone interviews. Contact Brenda Ross at 865-9511 or blb1@psu.edu to schedule.