Weston Roundtable Series

The Weston Roundtable is made possible by a generous donation from Mr. Roy F. Weston, a highly accomplished UW-Madison alumnus. Designed to promote a robust understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, these interactive lectures are co-sponsored by the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Office of Sustainability. These lectures build on the tremendous success in past years of the Weston Distinguished Lecture Series and the SAGE Seminar Series.

Listen to Live and Archived Webcasts of most talks (click on the "Energy Institute" folder in the left hand column, then click on "SAGE Weston Lecture Series", then choose the lecture). A link to talks recorded in WID will be posted after the files are processed and we are provided with the URL. Thank you for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience.

Want email updates on the Weston Roundtable and other events?
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Spring 2013 Schedule

All lectures are free and open to the public

Jan 31: UW Sustainability Panel:
Nancy Mathews, Morgridge Center for Public Service
Craig H. Benson, Office of Sustainability
Faramarz Vakili, WE Conserve

"What's red and white and green all over? WE Conserve Grows with the Office of Sustainability and the Morgridge Center for Public Service" UW-Madison strives to model environmentally sustainable practices and instill a spirit of environmental stewardship in community consciousness. Since 2006, WE Conserve has served as the flagship program to strengthen sustainable practices on campus. In 2011, WE Conserve joined forces with the Office of Sustainability (OS), to integrate sustainability into the curriculum in a more strategic fashion. Starting in the spring of 2013, WE Conserve and OS are teaming up with the Morgridge Center for Public Service to promote civic environmental responsibility through integration of operations and curricular and co-curricular sustainability initiatives. Join us on January 31st to learn about this exciting new collaboration to transform the UW-Madison Campus in partnership with the community.
WEBCAST

Feb 7: Professor Jerry Schnoor
Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering, University of Iowa
Co-Director, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research and
Editor-in-Chief, Environmental Science and Technology (American Chemical Society)
Location: Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, WID, Hector DeLuca Forum, 330 North Orchard St.

"Water Sustainability in a Changing World" Water is a vital resource increasingly stressed by demands from agriculture, industry, recreation, and ecosystem needs. Changes in supply and demand are driven by population growth, climate and land use change, and energy choices. We discuss the drivers affecting water sustainability and potential solutions. Management of the water cycle has been fragmented – groundwater and surface water are treated separately, and standards for effluent discharge are often disconnected from quality required downstream. Integrated management of water resources is frequently stated as a goal, but knowledge gaps make this difficult. We also discuss research at Clear Creek watershed (270 km2), a tributary of the Iowa River, to create an environmental observing facility and intelligent digital watershed (IDW) for better management.
WEBCAST

Feb 14: Sustainability Science Poster Session
Location: SAGE, 1710 University Ave
Refreshments served

Feb 21: NO Roundtable

Feb 26 (special Tuesday date): Tim Miller
Spoken Science

"Mastering Public Presentations" Science is not just about generating ideas; it's also about sharing ideas with the world. The ability to recruit students, attract colleagues, and secure funding is tied to successful communication of your research, both to peers and to the general public.
Communications expert Tim Miller has spent his career helping scientists and students bring their work out of the laboratory to a wider audience. In this session, Miller will address some of the challenges and opportunities of designing and delivering live presentations. Topics include effective use of body, voice and visual aids, and the importance of telling a story. Miller will help attendees choose the best tools for communication and will share tips that can boost presentations to the next level.
WEBCAST

Feb 28: Mick Follows
Senior Research Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Hector DeLuca Forum, 330 North Orchard St.

"Modeling Marine Microbes: Cell Physiology to Global Biogeography" Communities of marine micro-organisms are diverse and ecologically complex; they modulate global cycles of carbon and sulfur, and form a critical part of the food web that regulates marine resources. How are marine microbial communities organized in space and time? What is their role in biogeochemical cycles? How do they respond to environmental changes? Mathematical models can synthesize empirical understanding and explore the interactions of complex systems. We will illustrate how "self-organizing," trait-based ecological models can simulate and help interpret the functional biogeography of marine microbes. Modern views of cell biology influence these models. Examples will focus on nitrogen fixing phytoplankton, competition for nitrogen and iron at the large scale, and resource allocation at the cellular scale.
WEBCAST

Mar 7: TALK CANCELED

Mar 14: David Allen
Gertz Regents Professsor in Chemical Engineering and Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, The University of Texas at Austin
Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm, Reception to follow
Location: Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Hector DeLuca Forum, 330 North Orchard St.

"Atmospheric Impacts of Expanded Natural Gas Use" Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shale formations is projected by the Energy Information Administration to become the dominant source of domestic natural gas over the next several decades. However, the environmental impacts associated with fracking for shale gas have made it controversial, and some communities seek to ban it. This presentation will focus on air quality impacts associated with fracking. Data and modeling on emissions and impacts of photochemically active air pollutants, toxic air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions will be described. In addition, natural gas production in Texas and the Texas grid will be used as a case study for examining the indirect consequences of expanded natural gas availability.
WEBCAST

Mar 21: John Francis
Planetwalker, Nelson Institute Board of Visitors

Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: 1106 Mechanical Engineering

“Planetlines: Walking as if Engineering Mattered” Has environmental education kept pace with environmental degradation? Does “the environmental crisis” surpass our ability to cope? Pollution, climate change, species loss, and health problems such as asthma, obesity and nature deficit disorder require multi-faceted solutions with scientific, cultural, socio-economic, and personal elements. By walking across the U.S. and South America, Francis sought to replace despair with empowerment. Planetlines is Francis's new curriculum that uses walking to engage students, teachers and communities to better understand where we live through story and science. GIS and GPS technologies are used to collect and share quantitative and qualitative data. Francis will discuss Planetlines and also ask what insights might be gained by walking through life as if engineering mattered.
WEBCAST

Mar 28:  No Roundtable - SPRING BREAK

Mutlu OzdoganApr 4: Mutlu Ozdogan
Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology and Environmental Studies
Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) and Dept of Forest Ecology and Management, UW-Madison

Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: 1106 Mechanical Engineering

"Monitoring Crops From Space: Challenges and Opportunities" Timely and accurate information on crop growth status and yield at local to regional scales is of paramount importance for societal, economic, agricultural, and policy considerations.Since the 1970s, numerous attempts at relating remotely sensed measurements to crop biophysical variables have been proposed. While these attempts proved to be simple and effective, they were successful only under the conditions at the time, and were unsuitable for repeated and large-scale analysis. Professor Ozdogan will illuminate the existing challenges for space-based monitoring of crops and present state-of-the-art methods to overcome these challenges. The goal is to improve within- and end-season crop management. Proposed tools will include data assimilation, machine learning algorithms, and new sensors, designed specifically to monitor crops.
WEBCAST

Corbett GraingerApr 11: Corbett Grainger
AgricAsst. Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics and Environmental Studies
Nelson Institute, UW-Madison

Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: 1106 Mechanical Engineering

"Distributional Impacts of Environmental Regulations" Any environmental regulation affects the distribution of economic benefits and costs. Disentangling who wins or loses is complicated because regulations affect environmental quality, human health, product prices, input prices and land values. Economists have studied the efficiency characteristics of alternative regulatory approaches, and recent research has addressed how regulations affect different groups. In this talk, Professor Grainger will highlight some of these impacts, including how regulations affect renters versus landowners; how market-based regulations affect different individuals and firms; how tolls and congestion pricing may affect urban versus suburban communities; and where our current understanding of distributional impacts is not well understood.
WEBCAST


Abby SwannApr 18: Abigail L.S. Swann
Assistant Professor, Dept.of Atmospheric Sciences and Dept. of Biology
University of Washington
Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: Pyle Center, no recording

"Ecoclimate Teleconnections: Remote Effects of the Interactions between Ecosystems and Climate" Large-scale afforestation in the northern mid-latitudes warms the Northern Hemisphere and alters global circulation patterns in climate model experiments. Expansion of dark forests increases absorption of solar energy and increases surface temperature. Atmospheric circulation re-distributes the energy absorbed in the northern hemisphere resulting in the northward displacement of tropical rain-bands. Precipitation decreases over parts of the Amazon basin, affecting productivity, and increases over the Sahel and Sahara regions in Africa. We find that the response of climate to afforestation in mid-latitudes is determined by the amount of soil moisture available to plants, with the greatest warming found in water-limited regions. The ability of vegetation to affect remote circulation has implications for strategies for climate mitigation.
WEBCAST



Apr 25: Adena Rissman
Dept. of Forest and WIldlife Ecology, UW-Madison
Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: 1106 Mechanical Engineering

"Fixing the Environment: The Limits of Science in Adaptive Management" Adaptive management promises a holistic approach that transcends disciplinary boundaries and helps to accommodate uncertainty. It aspires to treat policies and actions as experiments through which hypotheses can be tested.   Professor Rissman suggests that the “stages” heuristic of adaptive management makes some variables visible, others invisible, and does not go far enough to enable us to understand how change happens.   She will illustrate these dynamics with evidence from a systematic review of the social-ecological systems literature, and through a case study from the Yahara Watershed. These examples will inform discussion of how science helps to improve sustainability, assess environmental management efforts, and track change more broadly in coupled social-ecological systems.
WEBCAST


May 2: Matthew D. Ruark
Assistant Professor
Soil Science Extension, UW-Madison

Time: 4:15 - 5:15pm. Coffee, tea and cookies at 4pm
Location: 1106 Mechanical Engineering

"Long-term cropping systems trials in Wisconsin: lessons on carbon, nitrogen, and sustainability" The effects of agricultural management practices on crops and soil are not always immediately seen. Thus, there is tremendous value in maintaining long-term cropping trials to evaluate these medium- to long-term effects. Dr. Ruark's presentation will focus on the long-term cropping system trials at the University of Wisconsin and how they have been, are being, or can be used to answer pressing questions facing agriculture, with a specific emphasis on soil carbon, nitrogen availability, and sustainable crop production
WEBCAST



Fall 2012 Speakers

Thurs, Sept 13: Professor Tracey Holloway
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
WEBCAST
“Energy Options for Cleaner Air”
Abstract: As we consider strategies to move toward renewable, domestic energy resources, one of the most direct environmental benefits is clean air. From electricity production to transportation, energy choices impact air quality and public health across the U.S. and around the world. Energy emissions and associated air pollution issues are intertwined with climate change, international development, and regulatory policy. Holloway and her research group focus on processes controlling ground-level ozone and particulate matter, from emission sources to chemistry and meteorology. Using advanced computer models, satellite data, and ground-based measurements, she works to evaluate the air quality and public health impacts of energy conservation, renewable electricity, and transportation alternatives.


27 Sept: Mitchell Myhre
Regulatory Affairs Manager, Alliant Energy
WEBCAST
"Sustainability Impacts of MISO and Wisconsin Electric Utility Operations"
Abstract: The environment in which Wisconsin electric utilities and the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) operate is continuously evolving. With this evolution come changes in policies, sources and processes used to meet the electricity needs of customers in the Midwest. Within this changing environment, however, reliability is a constant paramount priority. This presentation will discuss some of the recent sustainability impacts of MISO and Wisconsin electric utilities including a discussion of policy, system and resource changes.


4 Oct: Vladimir Novotny,
American Academy of Environmental Engineers
Marquette and Northeastern Universities
WEBCAST
"Closing the Water Cycle: Recovering Energy and Resources in the Cities of the Future"
Abstract: Current water management paradigms in both developed and developing cities are unsustainable. Transformations of water inputs, energy, and materials create polluted effluents, overflows, air pollution, excessive solid waste and greenhouse gases. The flows exemplify linear urban metabolism: long distance transfers of water, underground conveyance of used water and stormwater, and high energy use for transport, treatment and disposal of used water and solids. The worldwide Cities of the Future initiative features a new paradigm of water-centric sustainable communities. Cities of the Future distribute water and reclaim energy from used water in an urban metabolic cycle based on the four R's: reduce, reclaim, reuse and restore. Sustainable water "ecocities" projects in Canada, China, Singapore, Sweden, and Australia will be presented, and research and implementation challenges will be discussed.


11 Oct: Christian Burgsmueller
Transport, Energy, Environment and Nuclear Matters Section
European Union Delegation to the United States
WEBCAST
"EU Roadmap for Moving to a Competitive Low-Carbon Economy in 2050"
Abstract: The European Union has made significant progress toward its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions targets; over two decades, emissions have declined by 16% while the EU economy grew by 40%. In its “Roadmap for Moving to a Competitive Low-Carbon Economy in 2050” the European Commission looks beyond 2020 objectives to the long-term target of reducing emissions by 80% to 95% by 2050. If the EU succeeds, investment in energy efficiency will produce low-energy and low-emission buildings, electric and hybrid cars, less air pollution, less respiratory disease, and better public transport. Dr. Burgsmueller will describe the Roadmap and the context for implementation in the EU.


18 Oct: Keith Reopelle
Senior Policy Director, Clean Wisconsin
WEBCAST
"Voter Attitudes Toward Energy Issues in Wisconsin"
Abstract: Keith Reopelle, the Senior Policy Director for Clean Wisconsin, will present recent focus group and polling data for the state of Wisconsin that reveal voters' attitudes toward clean energy and fossil fuels. The data were generated as part of a nonpartisan candidate education project that Clean Wisconsin led with business partners, including Johnson Controls, Orion Energy and others. Reopelle has worked on clean energy and climate change policies for Clean Wisconsin for over 25 years.


Joe Eto25 Oct: Joseph Eto
Staff Scientist, Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
WEBCAST
"Use of Frequency Response Metrics to Assess the Planning and Operating Requirements for Reliable Integration of Variable Renewable Generation"
Abstract: Joseph Eto is a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he manages an industry, government and academic R&D partnership called the Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS). Dr. Eto has contributed to every major Department of Energy electricity policy study over the past decade, including the Power Outage Study Team (2000); the National Transmission Grid Study (2002); the US-Canada Final Report on the August 14, 2003 Blackout; and both DOE National Electric Transmission Congestion Studies (2006 and 2009). His publications have dealt with electricity policy and reliability, transmission planning, cost allocation, demand response, distributed energy resources, utility integrated resource planning, demand-side management, and building energy-efficiency technologies and markets.


Paul Robbins1 Nov: Paul Robbins
Director, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
WEBCAST
"Vector-borne Disease Hazards and Management in the US Southwest"
Abstract: Mosquito populations that spread West Nile Virus have become a health hazard in the Southwest. In southern Arizona, a team of entomologists, climatologists, spatial theorists, and political ecologists seek to understand these disease vectors. Using interviews with homeowners and mosquito control professionals, plus a review of industry and government data, I argue that (1) mosquito control is an “orphan industry” of agri-chemical companies; (2) mosquito control districts are vulnerable to budget raiding and underbidding; (3) a boom-and-bust trend evolves that cannot maintain a robust mosquito control infrastructure; (4) the resultant management landscape leaves homeowners to improvise their own strategies. This leads to “internalization” of responsibility for public health and a decline in expectations of state intervention, with serious implications for public health.


David Mladenoff8 Nov: David Mladenoff
Beers-Bascom Professor in Conservation
Dept of Forest & Wildlife Ecology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
WEBCAST
"The Importance of History in Understanding Current Ecosystems"
Abstract: Studies in a broad range of landscapes, using new techniques, show that both long term and transient past ecosystem states can have persistent effects on the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems today. Examples from a variety of ecosystems will be presented, including studies by my lab group that incorporate historical information from diverse sources. “Historical information” includes not only direct anthropogenic effects and data, but also the history of the ecosystem in the broad sense: any information from the past that is useful for understanding ecosystems today, and for predicting the diverse trajectories of ecosystems into an uncertain future.


15 Nov: Casey Brown
Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
WEBCAST
"Lake Regulation, Climate Change and Residual Climate Risks on the Upper Great Lakes"
Abstract: Water resources are vulnerable to climate change. Policy makers seek optimum sources of information to assist decision making, including frameworks that can use uncertain climate information for planning. We present a risk analysis for water resources management under climate change. First we ask stakeholders which physical conditions they could accommodate and which would require substantial investment. This response is formalized in a water resources systems model that relates changes in the physical climate conditions to performance metrics. Conditions causing impacts are assessed through GCM simulations and paleo-based stochastic analysis. Irreducible uncertainty of climate change projections is addressed through dynamic regulation, adaptive management and consideration of residual risks. Implementation of this process in the recent International Upper Great Lakes Study is described.


29 Nov: Peter Mahaffy
Professor, Department of Chemistry
King's University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
WEBCAST
"Climate Science, Powering our Planet, and Rare Materials: A role for Visualization"
Abstract: Our world requires the capacity to visualize models that take us beyond our own scale - to 'see' molecules colliding, to picture invisible forces, to imagine worlds too remote to observe. This is imperative when we tackle the complexity of climate science, make energy choices to power our planet, or comprehend how much modern life depends on rare materials often inaccessible to much of humanity. We will examine strategies developed at the King's Centre for Visualization in Science to take on the challenge of finding new ways to see and understand. How can we help scientists - and those within our spheres of influence - visualize solutions across disciplines and beyond paralysis at the scale and complexity of our planetary boundaries?

6 Dec: Gerrit Hoogenboom
Director of AgWeatherNet
Professor of Agrometeorology, Washington State University
WEBCAST
"Agriculture in a Changing Climate - From Scientific Research to Information Delivery for Practical Decision Making by Farmers"
Abstract: Agriculture not only provides our food, it is also a major component of the US economy and that of many other countries. The recent drought in the Midwest shows that weather has a major impact on agricultural production. Farmers have to deal with climate variability daily. It impacts their livelihood as well as food security worldwide. One challenge is to provide growers and producers with information for practical decision making that also has economic value. This information must be scientifically sound, yet relevant and timely to deal with both spatial and temporal variability and uncertainty of weather. Information and communication technologies can play a key role in this process, both in the US and in developing countries.


Spring 2012 Speakers

Jan 26: Mary Ann Piette
Director, Demand Response Research Center
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
"Automating Demand Response with OpenADR:  Communications, End-Use Loads, and an Advanced Integrated Grid"
WEBCAST
Abstract: Technology and policy for advanced demand response continue to evolve, as summers get hotter, the electric grid ages, and energy costs continue to rise. The addition of greater levels of intermittent renewable resources for electricity supplies also causes concerns about grid management. Demand response is one of the strategies to address this concern. This presentation summarizes research on communications technology and field experiments on automation of demand response in commercial and industrial facilities.

Feb 9: Paul Shepson
Professor, Analytic and Atmospheric Chemistry, Purdue University
"INFLUX: Moving Toward the Ability to Conduct Regional and Global Scale Accounting of Greenhouse Gases"
WEBCAST
Abstract: To understand the global carbon cycle requires knowledge of source strengths, and geographic and temporal variability of emissions. Moreover, international carbon management treaties demand reliable tools to verify compliance. Thus we need the ability to measure urban area-wide fluxes of carbon cycle gases. To do this we created the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX). I will present preliminary results of the INFLUX project for both CO2 and CH4, focusing on efforts to apportion the emissions to individual sectors.

Carol BarfordFeb 16: Carol Barford
Research Scientist and Interim Director, SAGE
"Sustainable bioenergy in Wisconsin: farm-level feasibility"
WEBCAST
Abstract: Wisconsin farms can grow bioenergy crops, but will they? Many factors govern this decision, including basic economic feasibility. This talk will present an analysis of the physical and economic conditions necessary for profitable production of switchgrass on Wisconsin farms, using a data-based approach. Logistic and environmental factors will also be discussed.

Feb 23: Michael O'Hare
Professor of Public Policy
University of California-Berkeley
"Risk, Time, Policy Design, and Other Lessons of Real Biofuels Policy"
WEBCAST
Abstract: Biofuel policy has forced unanticipated but useful lessons. Indirect land use change, the climate effect of different time profiles of releasing greenhouse gas, and the uncertainty associated with global warming indices of fuels have required rethinking of programs that looked simple when first conceived. Can a life cycle assessment be performed for any substance, or must it be applicable to a policy? What is the meaning of risk management, in programs like RFS and LCFS?

Mar 8: Richard O'Neill
Chief Economic Advisor
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
"New Approaches to Transforming Wind, Rain and Fire into Electricity – Making a Smarter, Cleaner, Efficient Grid"
WEBCAST
Abstract: Once virtually impossible, power system market design is now a practical possibility through advances in computer technology. New smart grid technology will allow appliances to ‘talk’ to the grid and allow cleaner energy sources to be integrated into the power system. Electric vehicles will recharge when prices are cheap and sell power to the grid when prices are high. New software will be needed to operate the grid.  What will these new markets look like and how do we get there?

Mar 15: Raghu Murtugudde
Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science/Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland
"Big History: Earth, Life and Sustainability"
WEBCAST
Abstract: Humans are the most cooperative species on the planet, capable of collective action to save the planet from the ills of environmental change. Communications to reach the human mind to achieve this collective action at scales that matter may be better designed if we understand the evolution of how the mind came to be schizophrenic, with an emotional elephant and a rational rider. This conversation attempts to place sustainability in the context of the evolution of our planet and its cooperative species.

Mar 22: Michael Doran
P.E., D.E.E.
Adjunct Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Michael Doran Techknowledge LLC
WEBCAST
"Sustainability - I am an Engineer; I Need a Definition"
Abstract: "There are three times the population of humans on Earth since I was born; 30 times more than in the year 1 CE. Earth's resources are finite, however, and we face huge global challenges in the decades ahead. Sustainability of Human Society: I like that term. But it is defined and used in our society in a way that lacks metrics. I believe we can and must define it differently and better, and I want to have a conversation on this topic with you March 22nd here, on the UW-Madison Engineering Campus."

Mar 29: James McCann
Professor of History
African Studies Center
Boston University
WEBCAST
"Africa's Malarial Landscape - History, Complexity, and Silver Bullets"
Abstract: Results of a study of the agro-ecology of malaria in a specific landscape in Ethiopia will emphasize the role of complex interactions of rural ecology and current attempts at eradication and/or control of malaria. The study includes results of laboratory work and field ecology, but also ecological and economic transformation of a malarial landscape as a whole. The lecture will emphasize the importance of an ecological rather than a bio-medical approach to combating malaria's persistence in the tropical world.

Apr 12: William W. Hogan
Raymond Plank Professor of Global Energy Policy
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
WEBCAST
"Electricity Market Reform and the Green Agenda"
Abstract: The green agenda envisions dramatic changes in the production and use of energy. The electricity sector is critical because it is already a large user of fossil fuels, and many green initiatives assume electrification of the transportation sector. The challenges require fundamental innovations on a huge scale. The uncertainty about both future conditions and technology precludes any simple prescription. A focus on incentives and electricity market design motivates and identifies policy initiatives required to address these challenges.

Apr 26: Andrew Light
Director, International Climate Policy
Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C. and
Director, Center for Global Ethics, George Mason University
WEBCAST
"International Climate Negotiations After Durban"
Abstract: The rescent UN climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa received a mixed reception. Many close to the negotiations pronounced them a critically important victory; some of the bigger carbon emitters signed a binding international treaty. However, critics called them yet another farce. I will review the history of these negotiations to put in context the complicated outcome. More was achieved than most people realized. The next focus should be on establishing the Green Climate Fund and creating a robust public and private international climate finance system.

May 3: James A. LaGro, Jr.
Professor, Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning, UW-Madison
WEBCAST
“Plumbing Code or Land Use Policy?”
Abstract: On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) serve most rural households in the Great Lakes Region. Major revisions of Wisconsin's plumbing code, which was changed in the 1990s from a prescriptive code to a performance code, now allow the installation of “alternative” on-site wastewater treatment systems on sites with only six inches (15.2 cm) of native soil above bedrock or the seasonal water table. What are the land use impacts - and sustainability implications - of this experiment in public policy?


May 10: R. Andreas Kraemer
Director and CEO, Ecologic Institute, Berlin; Chairman, Ecologic Institute, Washington DC
WEBCAST
"Germany's Energy Future - Greening an Export Nation"
Abstract: Mr. Kraemer will discuss the economic and trade aspects of energy transformation in Germany, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and relevant domestic and EU policies.
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Ecologic Institute

Previous Speakers

Teresa M. Adams, "Regenerative Infrastructure Development"
Professor and Director, National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW-Madison
12/1/11
WEBCAST


Brad Allenby, "Technology and Sustainability in the Age of the Anthropogenic Earth"
Arizona State University
View the Lecture PowerPoint slides
View the class lecture also given by Professor Allenby during his visit
11/20/08



Dr. Markus AmannMarkus Amann, "From Energy use to Emissions - The third component of the Kaya Identity"
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Laxenburg, Austria
Program Leader, Atmospheric Pollution and Economic Development
website
WEBCAST
2/17/11


Michelle BellMichelle Bell, "What types of airborne particles pose the biggest risk to public health?"
Yale University
Abstract
12/2/10





Craig Benson, "The Role of Recycled Materials in Sustainable Infrastructure"
Professor, Geological Engineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering 
UW-Madison 
website
1/27/11




Bill Blakemore 
"The Many Psychologies of Global Warming"
ABC News Reporter
website
4/13/11






Dr. T. Allan CompT. Allan Comp, "Art, Science, Community, and Transdisciplinary Action: Making it Real"
Office of Surface Mining, US Geological Survey
4/12/10





Ken Cassman, "Agricultural Production and Long-term Sustainability of Soil and Water Resources"
Professor of Agronomy, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska
10/17/05




Jeffrey Christian, "Zero Energy Houses: A Promising Grand Challenge for the U.S."
Director of the Building Technology Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
SAGE Graduate student David Zaks interviews Jeffrey Christian for WorldChanging.com
1/25/07




Rita Colwell, "Water Pollution and Human Health"
Chair at Canon US Life Sciences, Incorporated and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
10/3/05


Lisa Curran, "From Timber to Palm Oil: Effects of Bornean Land Use Change on Carbon Emissions, Rural Livlihoods and Biodiversity"
Professor of Tropical Resources, Yale University
4/7/08



Pat EaganPat Eagan (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Mark Finster (School of Business & College of Engineering), "An Eleven-Year Analysis of Energy Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Strategies and Trends"
UW-Madison
Abstract
1118/10


Tom Eggert, "The Business Case for Sustainability"
Professor, UW-Madison School of Business
website
2/3/11





Erle Ellis , "Ancient Anthropogenic Landscapes and the Emergence of the Anthropocene"
Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Geography & Environmental Systems
website
WEBCAST
Ellis' work focuses on understanding the ecology of densely populated landscapes as they are transformed by population growth and industrially-based technologies. Click here to watch a three-minute, Discovery Channel video about his proposal for a new way to map Earth's biomes, taking into account the effect humans have had on the planet.
3/31/11


Kerry Emanuel, “Is Global Warming Affecting Hurricanes?”
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Listen to the Talk
2/22/07




David E. Foster, "Internal Combustion Engines, Fuels and Sustainability"
Phil and Jean Myers Professor
Engine Research Center
UW College of Engineering
11/17/11
WEBCAST



Kevin GardnerKevin Gardner, "Walk, Pedal or Drive? Measuring Sustainability of Transportation Infrastructure"
University of New Hampshire
Abstract
9/16/10




Elisabeth Graffy, "Confronting Complexity: Rethinking the Role of Public Attitudes in Sustainable Energy Change"
Visiting Researcher, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
WEBCAST
10/13/11



Chris Green, “Economic Energy Intensity: Complexities, Implications, and Controversies”
Professor, Dept. of Economics 
McGill University, Montreal 
website
WEBCAST
3/10/11



Daniel JacobDaniel Jacob, "Mercury in the environment: from smokestack to stomach"
Harvard University
Abstract
12/9/10



Pat Kinney, "Climate Change, Air Quality, and Public Health"
Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
3/6/06




Maggie Koerth-Baker
"Never Say 'Diagonal of the Covariance Matrix': 6 Things Scientists Can Learn From Science Journalists"
Science Editor, BoingBoing.net
website
WEBCAST
2/24/11



Leonard KonikowLeonard Konikow, "Groundwater Depletion: A National Assessment and Global Perspective"
USGS
10/14/10



Jonathan Koomey, "Creating the Future: Cost effective options for minimizing climate change and oil dependence"
Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Consulting Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept, Stanford University
View the Lecture and Slidshow Online (courtesy of the UW Engineering MediaSite)
Listen to the Talk
10/26/06


Klaus LacknerKlaus Lackner, "Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide: Another Tool to Help Fix the Climate?"
Columbia University
Abstract
10/8/10




Eric Lambin, "Impact of Land Use Policies on Changes in  Masai Mara Wildlife (Kenya): Analyzing Coupled Human-Environment Systems"
Professor, Department of Geography, University of Louvain, Belgium
UW Lambin News release
11/28/05




Diana Liverman
"Communities, Climate Change, and Development: Can the International Climate Regime Deliver Mitigation and Adaptation that Benefit the Poor?"
Director of the Environmental Change Institute
Oxford University Centre for the Environment
Listen to the Talk
2/2/09


Julie Lundquist 
"Harvesting the Wind: Making Wind Energy Work with Meteorological Insight"
Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
University of Colorado at Boulder
website
WEBCAST
5/5/11


Gregory Nemet, "Four Decades of Multi-year Targets in Energy Policy: Aspirations or Credible Commitments?"
Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Environmental Studies, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), and La Follette School of Public Affairs, UW-Madison

WEBCAST
10/20/11




Panel Discussion: "Student Solutions for Sustainability"
Tracey Holloway, Director of SAGE, Tom Eggert, Director, Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, and three former winners of the Climate Leadership Challenge (CLC): Chris Meyer, GSSP Student Services Coordinator (CLC 2009 winner), Claus Moberg, (CLC 2010 winner), and Patrick Kirk, (CLC 2011 winner).
WEBCAST
10/27/11
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J. Carlos Santamarina, "ENERGY: A Geo-centered Perspective"
Goizueta Foundation Faculty Chair and Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

WEBCAST
11/10/11



Majid Sarmadi, "Sustainability of Natural Fibers and Dyes: Myth and Reality"
Rothermal Bascom Professor, Design Studies Department, School of Human Ecology; and Professor, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Materials Science Graduate Program, UW-Madison Department of Environment, Textiles and Design

Majid Sarmadi's website
WEBCAST
9/22/11


Adrian Treves, "Using Risk Mapping to Predict Environmental Hazards"
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Director, Carnivore Coexistence Lab, The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison
Adrian Treves' website
WEBCAST
9/15/11

Updated: 5/14/13

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