Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Information, inspiration focus of 2011 Pesek Colloquium

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2011

Optimism for the role of universities and the power of information filled Andrew Revkin’s talk for the 2011 Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture. Revkin, author and award-winning blogger on environmental issues, spoke at Iowa State University on October 24 on the question, “9 Billion People + 1 Planet = ?”

Revkin is a senior fellow and lecturer at Pace University’s Academy for Applied Environmental Sciences and a former science reporter at the New York Times. He writes the Dot Earth blog, which examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet’s limits. Readers of the blog are immersed in a world where words, images and videos create an interactive discussion about climate change, population growth and sustainability.

“My opinion is that science matters,” Revkin said. “On issues where science leads to complexity, complexity matters.” He described Dot Earth as a “reality-centered” blog that helps readers sift through the wealth of available information—from YouTube videos to scientific studies—and raises meaningful questions about the future of the planet. 

Revkin pointed to the powerful role that universities can play as centers of knowledge, places to learn and share skills, and global leaders for change. Twitter, Facebook, Skype and other networking technologies allow students and experts around the world to connect, converse and inspire one another.

“The ability to shape and share ideas has never been greater,” Revkin said.

To prove his point, Revkin showed a video of an earthquake-resistant building design, played the sound of ice cracking on the North Pole, and spontaneously Skyped with Rusty Schweickart, the NASA astronaut who piloted Apollo 9 in 1966. 

Read Revkin’s blog at http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com.

The Leopold Center co-sponsors the Pesek Colloquium, which honors John Pesek, Iowa State University emeritus professor of agronomy.

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2011