For Immediate Release

Date:  April 21, 2006

BLOOMSBURG— Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Democracy Matters chapter will host the annual All-Day Dialogue focusing on the environment Thursday, April 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The All-Day Dialogue will take place at the amphitheatre adjacent to Scranton Commons and is open to the public free of charge. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Kehr Union Ballroom. 

The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with the welcome and opening remarks from BU President Jessica Kozloff. “The Big Picture,” a panel discussion, will start at 9:45 a.m. with members of BU’s faculty and staff. John Hintz, assistant professor of geology and geosciences; James Mackin, provost and vice president of academic affairs; Steven Rier, assistant professor of biological and allied health sciences; and Martina Vidovic, assistant professor of economics, will take part in the discussion which will be moderated by John Latini, campus coordinator of Democracy Matters.

Donald Brown, director of Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy and senior counsel for sustainable development, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will speak at 11 a.m. followed by a performance by the BU Jazz Band at 11:30 a.m. Pennsylvania poetry will take place at 12:30 p.m. At 1 p.m. members of Democracy Matters will speak on the topic of money and the environment, citing direct correlations between money given to politicians and global warming, energy policy, water pollution and deforestation. 

The event will conclude at 2 p.m. with Green Campus Conversation and poster session lead by Claire Lawrence, associate professor of English, and students from the Environmental Literature class.

Free pizza and soda will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students and offers 65 bachelor’s, 18 master’s and one doctoral degree.

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