(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 28, 2014

(MAHWAH, NJ)- Ramapo College will be hosting multiple presentations as part of its “Creating a Sustainable World: Voice of Key Practitioners #3” series. This series of events is sponsored by MASS: Masters of Arts in Sustainability Studies. They will continue throughout the Spring 2014 semester.

On February 27, a seminar program, “Applying the Ideas of Ivan Illich: Learning Beyond Economics and Ecology,” will be held with Dr. Trent Schroyer, professor of Sociology and Philosophy at Ramapo College. The seminar will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Friends Hall, SC219. Dr. Schroyer was a major early force behind the pioneering introduction to Ramapo’s college curriculum of the concept of sustainability. He has also played a pivotal role in the global movement for sustainability through his work with organizations such as The Other Economic Summit (TOES).  This discussion will bring attention to Austrian philosopher and social critic Ivan Illich’s seminal thinking on such central issues to sustainability as health, work, energy, expertise, the commons and empowerment. Professor Schroyer will develop some of the implications of Illich’s approach by discussing his own thinking about social autism, autistic economics, and new ideas of enlivenment learning emerging from the international commons movement.

On March 6, anti-nuclear activist and founder of the Movement for Nuclear Safety, Natalia Mironova, will present “Activism Under Fire: The Russian Anti-Nuclear Movement, pre-Chernobyl to post-Fukushima” in Friends Hall, SC219 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In this discussion Dr. Mironova recounts her personal history with the Soviet and Russian nuclear programs. Mironova will recount how disclosure of nuclear disaster—both Chernobyl and a major event from the 1950s— paved the way to the establishment of a civil society and a large-scale anti-nuclear movement, as well as the fall of the Soviet Union. Her continued activism on behalf of nuclear victims and against pro-nuclear policy continued despite the gradual retraction of short-lived democracy in Russia. Mironova, an engineer turned sociologist, will expose the social dynamics that surround nuclear energy–as well as the continuing hazards of the technology—evidenced in the Fukushima disaster. And she will recount her experiences as an activist in a society fast-returning to its past authoritarian ways.

On March 27, Ramapo College alumni Paul Rosolie’10 will officially release and discuss his book, “Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey in the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon.” Rosolie, who majored in environmental studies at Ramapo, has led volunteer expeditions in the Amazon rainforest since he was 18 and helped to develop a scientific research and conservation education center there.  Join Rosolie as he recounts his experiences exploring parts of this vast domain that have had little intrusion by modern people. Rosolie’s encounter with the wilderness will bring immediacy to the vital importance of saving the world’s last intact rainforests. This event will take place in Friends Hall, SC219 6-7:30 p.m. For further information regarding Paul Rosolie and his work visit http://www.paulrosolie.com.

Other events in the series include a March 23 screening of the new film American Native, about the Ramapough-Lenape tribe. A panel of experts and the Ramapough chiefs will discuss the film. The director and producer will be on hand. The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Sharp Theater, Berrie Center.

Finally, on April 10, local Mahwah youth activist Erich Fuchs-Stengel will address the topic: YOUTH TAKE ACTION: Sustainability—WE Can Make It Happen! The presentation is from 6 to 7:30 pm, April 10, in Friends Hall, SC219. Fuchs-Stengel is the Executive Director and Founder of the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization, Inc. (MEVO). Eric began MEVO in 2008 when he was 16 years old and has built it into a premier youth organizations for sustainability, training youth leaders and mobilizing thousands of high school and college students in voluntary actions on behalf of the local region.  MEVO is undertaking a new collaboration with Bergen County to create a demonstration farm to educate youth and serve the general public and people with disabilities. This young inspirational leader was named State of New Jersey Environmentalist of the Year for 2013 and awarded the Governors’ Environmental Excellence Award. He will underscore the shift in leadership now occurring, where the next generation has begun to spearhead the shift to sustainability.

This is the third year of the series, which is part of the capstone experience for students in the Masters in Sustainability Studies Program. The idea of the events is to invite successful practitioners in diverse areas of sustainability to give a public lecture and then offer a seminar for Masters students in their methods of practice. The series is organized by Professor Michael R. Edelstein. All events are free and open to the public. Community members coming to campus are reminded to get a parking pass from the security booth at the north entrance.

For further information on any upcoming event, contact Professor Michael R. Edelstein at medelste@ramapo.edu or (210) 684-7745.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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