ADVISORY

The University of Michigan made national headlines when it held two days of environmental teach-ins prior to the original Earth Day in 1970. In the past 25 years, the ” birthplace of environmental education” has been a leader in exploring and solving problems pertaining to the environment and natural resources.

The following U-M faculty are experts in various areas of environmental studies that are relevant to Earth Day issues.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS: Stringent U.S. environmental regulations, which have done much to restore damaged ecosystems and declining species, are necessary to develop a sustainable future for renewable resources, says James Diana,associate professor of natural resources. With several environmental laws—Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program—up for reauthorization, Diana can discuss what laws are needed and why. He can be reached at (313) 763-5834.

ENVIRONMENTAL DISPUTES: What are the causes and consequences of environmental disputes, specifically in the management of public lands and in the conservation of endangered species? How can we better manage the often intense and protracted conflicts that arise over environmental and natural resource decisions? These are among the issues that Julia Wondolleck, assistant professor of natural resources, is addressing in her research on environmental dispute resolution. She can bereached at (313) 764-1570.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: What are the physical, psychological, emotional, social and economic effects of living near a hazardous waste facility? What coping devices do people use to deal with the anxiety of living near a toxic waste dump? How are siting decisions made that result in disproportionate environmental impacts on minority and low-income communities?

What is the level of academic achievement and the number of sick days for students at public schools located near hazardous waste sites or pollution facilities? These are some of the questions that Bunyan Bryant, associate professor of natural resources, is trying to answer. He can be reached at (313) 763-2470.

ENVIRONMENT, RACE AND PUBLIC OPINION: ” The conventional wisdom is that African Americans are not as concerned about the environment as whites,” says Paul Mohai, associate professor of environmental and natural resource policy. “The irony is that very little data exist concerning the environmental attitudes of African Americans or any other groups of people of color. ” He says there is little difference between whites and African Americans in their views on the importance of nature protection. In fact, African Americans are more likely than whites to rate neighborhood environmental problems as serious, he says. Mohai can be reached at (313) 763-4598.

BENEFITS OF BAD AIR?: According to atmospheric scientist and geologist James C.G. Walker, the blanket of air pollution that hangs over much of the industrialized world has a benevolent side. He says it could be protecting us from the full impact of other serious environmental threats, such as global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. ” Bad air does have its benefits, but by masking the effects of other environmental problems, it may be lulling us into an unmerited complacency,” Walker says. He can be reached at

MICHIGAN WARMING: If the Earth continues to get warmer, what impact will it have on Michigan? Will farmers start growing cotton in the Upper Peninsula? James Teeri , professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who also directs the U-M Biological Station near Pellston and the Matthaei Botanical Gardens near Ann Arbor, can describe experiments currently in progress to study how Michigan’s forests and wildlife are changing in response to a changing climate. He also can address how climate change could affect Michigan agriculture and tourism. Teeri can be reached at (313) 763-4461.

GLOBAL WARMING AND BIRD MIGRATION: Because climate greatly influences the shape of many birds’ winter migration, projected global warming will have a significant impact on their ranges, says Terry Root, associate professor of natural resources. ” The consequences of such disruptions of communities could be catastrophic,” she says. ” The balance between competitors and between predators and prey could lead to drastic reductions in some populations. ” Root can be reached at (313) 763-5945.

CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR: Techniques commonly used to promote conservation behavior—recycling, reducing waste, carpooling, conserving water, using energy efficiently—may be successful in the short term, but individuals must fully understand the reasons behind their behavior change if long- term benefits are to be achieved. According to Raymond DeYoung, assistant professor of conservation behavior, unfamiliar and inconvenient behavior modifications, coupled with complex and overwhelming environmental problems, can often discourage the average citizen and ” lead to outright avoidance and reactions of denial, frustration or feelings of helplessness. ” DeYoung can be reached at (313) 763-3129.

LAND-USE PLANNING: While most land-use planners malign suburban sprawl for its ill effects on streams and water quality, Donna Erickson, assistant professor of landscape architecture, says that as landholdings have been subdivided, much of it has been taken out of agriculture, resulting in more forested lands. ” For a number of reasons, people are letting the fields grow up and forests are increasing along streams,” Erickson says. She can be reached at (313) 763-4457.

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION: Although most of us are more familiar with human-constructed landscapes, natural ecosystems often harbor more diverse species of plants and animals, and are better adapted to a region’s climate, topography and soil, according to Robert Grese, associate professor of landscape architecture. He believes that remnants of native ecosystems are ” jewels” in a chain of preserves that should be managed cooperatively on both public and private lands. ” I want to change the attitude so that each remnant is viewed as one piece in a necklace, instead of isolated property,” he says. Grese can be reached at (313) 763-0645.

AN ECOSYSTEM APPROACH: Conserving rare and endangered species, maintaining ecological diversity, and preserving and restoring natural landscapes can be achieved through an integrated, holistic ecosystem approach that focuses on interactions between geology, landforms, soil, climate, plants and animals, says Burton Barnes, professor of forest ecology. ” What is important today is to change our understanding of the world, to focus on ecosystems rather than on the individual species and organisms that are parts of them,” he says. Barnes can be reached at (313) 764-1407.

ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT: ” Doing good science is important, but so are building decision-making processes that involve a diverse set of stakeholders, and developing an understanding of human interests so that good science can become good decisions,” says Steven Yaffee, associate professor of natural resources. He says the spotted owl controversy in the Pacific Northwest shows the difficulty in achieving successful ecosystem management, and illustrates the need to change federal law incentives that promote overuse of natural systems, to update management styles of federal agencies, and to find new ways to educate professionals for environmental careers. Yaffee can be reached at (313) 763-5451.

POLLUTION PREVENTION: The National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education, a collaborative effort among academia, industry, government, and public interest groups, was created in 1991 to provide training and tools to prevent the creation of pollution. Director Jonathan Bulkley, professor of resource policy, can be reached at (313) 764- 3198.

BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: The Corporate Environmental Management Program sponsors research on pollution prevention, ” green” manufacturing, sustainable development and environmental business strategy. Director Stuart Hart, assistant professor of corporate strategy and organizational behavior and human resource management, can be reached at

James TeeriTerry Root