April 5, 2004 Contact: Steven Marx
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (805) 756-2411

Noted ‘Sustainable’ Environmental Designer, Author to Speak at Cal Poly
During Earth Day Convocation April 23

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Renowned author, “green” environmental designer and educator David Orr will speak at Cal Poly April 23 as part of the university’s Earth Day activities.

The Oberlin College professor will be just one of the speakers at a special Earth Day “Education for Sustainability” convocation from 4 to 6 p.m. April 23 in Chumash Auditorium in the University Union. The professor’s speech, and the convocation, are free and open to the public.

Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker will begin the convocation with remarks about Cal Poly’s historic mission as a polytechnic university and the announcement that the university has signed the Talloires Declaration, joining some 300 universities worldwide in a 10-point pledge to practice, improve and teach methods of sustainable resource use and environmental protection.

Professor George Lewis, chair of the Cal Poly Academic Senate, Cal Poly College of Engineering Dean Peter Lee, College of Architecture and Environmental Design Dean R. Thomas Jones and Associated Students Inc. President Alison Anderson and ASI Vice-President Olga Berdial will also speak on the university’s plans and efforts regarding sustainability and environmental responsibility. Orr’s keynote address will close the public portion of the convocation.

Orr spearheaded the effort to design, finance and build the Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College in Ohio. The green building has been described by The New York Times as “the most remarkable” of a new generation of environmentally responsible college buildings, and was also selected as one of 30 “milestone buildings” by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“There is a lot of interest in sustainability issues on the Central Coast, and we believe Professor Orr’s background and experience would be of interest to many in the community. It’s really quite an honor to have him here,” said Cal Poly English Professor Steven

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Noted ‘Sustainable’ Environmental Designer, Author to Speak at Cal Poly – Page 2
Cal Poly Public Affairs, San Luis Obispo

Marx, chair of the Cal Poly Land Project and a member of Cal Poly’s Sustainability Initiative.

Orr is currently professor and chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin and a pioneer in the field of sustainable design. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his recent work in sustainable design, said Marx.

He is the author of four books, “The Last Refuge: The Corruption of Patriotism in the Age of Terror” (2004); “The Nature of Design” (2002); “Earth in Mind” (1994) and “Ecological Literacy” (1992), as well as more than 120 articles in science journals, social science publications and popular magazines.

Orr is a contributing editor of Conservation Biology and a trustee of the Educational Foundation of America and the Compton Foundation. He serves on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Institute (Colo.), Second Nature (Mass.) and the Center for Ecoliteracy (Calif.).

For details on Cal Poly Earth Day activities and university sustainability plans and accomplishments, visit: http://www.facilities.calpoly.edu/Facilities_Planning/campusprojects/projects/sustainability/index3.htm.

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