DATE: 7 p.m. Nov. 5, 2008.

EVENT: “Arts & the Environment” at the University of Michigan. Keynote address by David W. Orr.

Among the world’s foremost environmentalists and innovative thinkers contemplating a new connection between society and the environment, Orr will discuss the cultural-political forces shaping the public debate about the future of the environment.

Orr, who is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, will give the keynote address at “Arts & the Environment: Earth, Air, Fire and Water,” which runs through Nov. 7 at the University of Michigan. Free and open to the public. Seating is limited.

Through exhibits, panel discussions and performances, “Arts & the Environment” aims to find innovative ways to raise public awareness of pressing environmental issues, such as sustainability, plight of urban areas, and impingement of technology on everyday life.

Projects and exhibits are located in various areas on the U-M campus in Ann Arbor.

In addition to his work as a lecturer and author, Orr is known widely for his breakthrough studies in environmental education and environmental design. In 1996, Orr led a team that constructed one of the greenest buildings in North America, the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College.

His books include: “Design on the Edge: The Making of a High-Performance Building,” (MIT Press, 2006); “The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics and the Environment in the Age of Terror,” (Island Press, 2005); and “Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment and the Human Prospect,” (Island Press, 2004).

SPONSORS: The keynote lecture is supported by the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment, U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’ Program in the Environment, and LSA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

PLACE: Stamps Auditorium (inside the Walgreen Center), next to the Duderstadt Center, 1226 Murfin Ave., Ann Arbor, U-M North Campus.

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