AMES, Iowa -- Environmental educator and author David Orr will present Iowa State University's P.H. Elwood Lecture in Landscape Architecture at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 10 in the Kocimski Auditorium, College of Design.
Orr's talk, "Patriotism, Politics and the Environment in an Age of Terror," is drawn from his recent book of the same title. He advocates a coherent environmental agenda, vigorous public discussion of the issues and an increased emphasis on environmental study in higher education.
A native of Des Moines, Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor and chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.
Orr is best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his contributions in ecological design. He is the author of "The Nature of Design: Ecology, Culture, and Human Intention"; "Earth in Mind: Essays on Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect"; and "Ecological Literacy and the Transition to a Postmodern World."
Orr is contributing editor of Conservation Biology and an advisor and consultant to the Trust for Public Land and the National Parks Advisory Committee. He has received many awards, including the National Wildlife Federation's National Conservation Achievement Award. He earned his master's degree from Michigan State University, East Lansing, and his doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Orr also will speak at the fall conference of the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects at 1 p.m., Sept. 10 at Reiman Gardens.
The Philip H. Elwood Lecture Series in Landscape Architecture was established in 1997 to honor the legacy of professor Philip H. Elwood, who is credited with developing the department of landscape architecture at Iowa State University. The lecture series, initiated by 1943 landscape architecture graduate Theodore Osmundson, created an endowed fund to bring renowned practitioners to the Iowa State campus as guest lecturers each September.
The Elwood Lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture in Gallery 181, College of Design.
This year's Elwood Lecture is sponsored by the department of landscape architecture, College of Design, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, department of architecture and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. For more information on the lecture, contact the Lectures Program, (515) 294-9934.