Anthony Cortese, a national leader in promoting sustainability in higher education, visited Carleton on January 14 and delivered a lecture entitled “Sustainability in Higher Education.”  Cortese is President of Second Nature, a nonprofit group that strives to “make healthy, just, and sustainable action a foundation of all learning and practice in higher education.”  He is also a co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (of which Carleton is a member) and a co-director of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (of which President Oden is a signatory). 

Mark Seeley is a professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, where he has worked since 1978. He has done weekly commentary for Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. His extension educational programs relate weather/climate impacts to Minnesota agriculture, transportation, energy, tourism, and natural resources, and he has received several awards for his work with the deployment of living snow fences. Seeley edited a successful series of children's books called the Amazing Science Series and recently authored The Minnesota Weather Almanac, a 200-year history of Minnesota weather. The title of his presentation was "Climate Change in Minnesota: Evidence and Implications."

Ken Tape, '99, has researched the impact of climate change in Alaska, where he uses aerial photography to compare changes in vegetation over the past number of decades. On January 7, he presented a lecture entitled "Arctic Responses to Global Climate Change." In his visit back to Carleton, he also taught a two-week course entitled "Changing Arctic Landscape," offered through the ENTS program.

Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist at MIT, has written a number of books on the subjects of hurricanes and climate change, the most recent of which is What We Know about Climate Change (Boston Review Books).  In his research, Dr. Emanuel has found connections between climate change and increased hurricane intensity. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Emanuel was named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. Dr. Emanuel's presentation was entitled "Global Warming and Hurricanes."

"Contaminated Without Consent: How Exposure to Chemical Pollutants in Air, Food and Water Violates Human Rights." Ecologist, poet and cancer survivor, Sandra Steingraber is recognized internationally as an expert on environmental links to cancer. Her highly acclaimed book, "Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment," is a personal and scientific exploration of how toxic chemicals contribute to rising cancer rates in various communities, and won her praise as "the new Rachel Carson." Steingraber offers insights into green architecture, campus sustainability, and the future of food in a world short of oil.

Author of the national bestsellers, "Fast Food Nation" and "Reefer Madness," Eric Schlosser investigates hidden realms of American business and culture and their far-reaching effects on our lives. He challenges people to think about critical and often overlooked issues, including food safety, workers' rights, the war on drugs, our prison system, and marketing to children. In "Fast Food Nation," Schlosser uncovers the inner workings of the fast food industry, from the appalling working conditions in American meat-packing plants to the "flavor industry" along the New Jersey Turnpike that gives fast food its taste. Depicting the tremendous growth and success of the industry, Schlosser reveals how fast food has been a revolutionary force in American life, transforming our diet as well as our economy, workforce and popular culture. The title of his presentation is "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal."