EnviroThursday Spring 2002

Presentations take place at 12 noon, Olin-Rice Room 250

February 14, 2002

“Perspectives on Community Participation and Sustainable Development in Ecuador”
Speaker: Martha Moscoso

Martha holds advanced degrees in sociology and Andean history. She has done extensive teaching and research in women’s and gender history and in indigenous communities. She teaches on the Human Sciences faculty at Quito’s Catholic University. She is also Program Director for HECUA’s Community Internships in Latin America program in Ecuador.

February 21, 2002 – No EnviroThursday

February 28, 2002

“Campus Environmental Issues Committee (CEIC) Meeting”

The Committee’s mission is to evaluate, research, recommend, and educate the college on environmental issues and practices. Anyone can be a part of this committee.

In this meeting, we will have a discussion of MPIRG’s proposal that Macalester should take advantage of a new law which requires energy producers to allow their customers to request that 10% of their energy be produced by alternative energy sources. Representatives of MPIRG and Macalester College’s Physical Plant will participate to explore the implications for the College. Come and learn more and air your views.

March 7, 2002

“Environmental Issues in Argentina”
Speaker: Don Arnosti

Don will speak on environmental issues in Argentina as well as his experiences living there for two years. Don is the former Executive Director of Minnesota Audubon and is currently with Minnesota Environmental Partnership.

March 14, 2002 – No EnviroThrusday

March 21, 2002

“Activities of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency”
Speaker: Mike Torjan

Mike Torjan, a Hydrologist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), will talk about some of the most important environmental issues today and what MCPA’s role is in these issues. He will also talk about what areas the MPCA is currently most active in.

Mike’s work has included research on contaminant transport in the environment, ground water mapping at the DNR, working on the Superfund and ground water monitoring programs at the PCA, and he is currently involved with collecting environmental information used in priority setting at the MPCA.

April 4, 2002

“Talking Flight: Nongame Wildlife”
Speaker: Joan Galli

Joan is the Regional Nongame Specialist for the Twin Cities Area, and she will address the DNR’s plans for preserving non-game wildlife throughout Minnesota.

April 11, 2002

“Minnesota’s Wetlands: Current Threats and Policy Solutions”
Speaker: Noah Hall

Noah Hall will present issues and lead a discussion regarding Minnesota’s wetlands. He will give a brief background on Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) which has been working to improve environmental policy in Minnesota for over 26 years. He will also also discuss opportunities to volunteer and intern with MCEA.

Noah is the Assistant Director of MCEA. Before joining MCEA, Noah was an attorney in private practice and represented a variety of clients in environmental and energy matters. Noah is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Law School and School of Natural Resources and Environment.

April 18, 2002

“Environmental Due Diligence and Cleanup in Hennepin County”
Speaker: John Evens and Andrew Leith

The Contaminated Lands Unit of the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services is responsible for conducting environmental due diligence and, if necessary, cleanup at properties that Hennepin County owns or is interested in purchasing. The Contaminated Lands Unit also administers an environmental assessment and cleanup grant program that makes money available for the assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites throughout Hennepin County where redevelopment as open space, municipal facilities and/or affordable housing is planned.

Before joining the Contaminated Lands Unit of the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services in 1998, John Evans worked for nine years as an environmental consultant in Minneapolis, Toronto and Chicago. Prior to his work as an environmental consultant, John worked for a waste disposal company in Chicago where he evaluated waste disposal facilities for possible acquisition.

Andrew Leith has a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Science and was an environmental consultant for seven years in Chicago and Twin Cities before joining Hennepin County.

April 25, 2002

“History of Whaling and Marine Mammal Exploitation in the Southeastern Caribbean”
Speaker: Joel Creswell ’02

The history of whaling and marine mammal exploitation in the southeastern Caribbean is not well known. Only two southeast Caribbean countries engage in whaling today, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia, but most of them engaged in some form of marine mammal exploitation at some point. Through interviews, boat-based surveys, and literature review, Joel is assembling a history of exploitation in Barbados. By combining this knowledge with past research on Grenada, Venezuela, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, we can start to answer questions about why marine mammals in the Caribbean have the distribution they do today.

Joel is a Macalester senior and an Environmental Studies and International Studies double major with a Biology core and a German minor. This research has been completed in fulfillment of his honors project in Environmental Studies. After graduation, he plans to spend next year working as a research assistant before going to graduate school to study environmental science and marine mammals.