SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY Lecture series looks at environment

The lectures will cover a wide range of topics related to the environment.
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University's Dr. Bruno Borsari calls it the challenge of the new millennium: Protecting natural resources to safeguard them for the next generation.
The university will sponsor a lecture series this semester that explores the connection between responsible stewardship of the environment and quality of life. The Sustainable Systems Seminar Series will feature a different topic and speaker at 1 p.m. Wednesdays from Jan. 30 through May 1. The lectures, in Room 304 of the physical therapy building, are free and open to the public.
A variety of topics will be explored, from backyard composting to preserving water supplies and farmland, says Borsari, assistant professor of parks, recreation and environmental education.
The programs are:
U Jan. 30: "Regional Initiatives in Environmental Education in Southwestern Pennsylvania" with Hal Kaufman, program coordinator, Pennsylvania Resources Council Inc.
U Feb. 6: "Pennsylvania's Sustainable Energy Funds" with Joel Morrison, program development/communication, The Energy Institute, Penn State University.
U Feb. 13: "Toward Local Restoration and Health: Sustaining Community Supported Coalitions" with Margaret Dunn and Shawn Bustler, both with Stream Restoration Inc.
U Feb. 20: "Habitat, Herbivores and Hunters: Sustaining a Complex System" with Susan Stout, research project leader, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station.
U March 6: "Sustaining the Sustainability Movement: Paradoxes and the Search for Answers" with Inno Onwueme, professor and director, Fulton Center for Sustainable Living, Wilson College.
U March 13: "Pennsylvania Bats and a Look at the Endangered Indiana Bat" with Cal Butchkoski, wildlife biologist, Pennsylvania Game Commission.
U March 20: "Sustainable Agriculture and National Security" with Ron Gargasz, Plain Grove organic farmer.
U April 3: "Incorporating Biodiversity into Treatment/Constructed Wetlands" with Bob Beran, director of environmental services, Aquascape Inc.
U April 10: "The Value of Nature with Richard Findler," SRU associate professor of philosophy.
U April 17: "The Pursuit of Global Peace Through a Sustainable Partitioning of Resources" with Borsari and Steven Doherty, assistant professor of parks, recreation and environmental education at SRU.
U April 24: "Utilization of Biomass for Sustainable Energy Supply" with Achim Loewen, director, Fraunhofer USA Center for Energy and Environment, University of Pittsburgh.
U May 1: "Honey Bee Biology and the Role of Honey Bees in Agro-Ecosystems" with Maryann Frazier, senior extension associate, entomology, Penn State University.