Unity College Announces Spring 2011 Lapping Lecture Series

Unity, Maine – January 24, 2011 –  Unity College is pleased to announce the schedule of events for the Spring 2011 Lapping Lecture Series.  The series will be held at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts in Unity.  Each lecture is held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., is free of charge and open to the general public.  A reception will follow each presentation with light refreshments offered.

The Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts is located at 42 Depot Street (off Route 202) in Unity, Maine.

January 25: Reflections Upon A Solar Road Trip: Unity College Sustainability Coordinator Jesse Pyles and Unity College students Amanda Nelson, Jean Altomare, Jamie Nemecek will discuss their experiences on a “solar road trip” in September 2010 with world renowned author and environmental activist Bill McKibben.  They journeyed from Unity, Maine to Washington, D.C., with a solar panel formerly atop the White House to encourage President Obama to pursue a progressive energy policy. Within a month of their trip President Obama announced that he would install an array of solar panels atop the White House.

MOVIE SCREENING – Climate Refugees, Free Admission

January 25: 7 p.m., Climate Refugees, a movie screening sponsored by the Maine Chapter of the United States Green Building Chapter (USBC) Network and Coordinated by the USBC Emerging Professionals and Climate Refugees.  There is a new phenomenon in the global arena called “Climate Refugees.”  A climate refugee is a person displaced by climatically induced environmental disasters. Such disasters result from incremental and rapid ecological change, resulting in increased droughts, desertification, sea level rise, and the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, cyclones, fires, mass flooding and tornadoes. All this is causing mass global migration and border conflicts. For the first time, the Pentagon now considers climate change a national security risk and the term climate wars is being talked about in war-room like environments in Washington D.C. 

February 1: Maine Woods Makeover with Chris Beach. Successful conservation generally happens in local places. Most environmental challenges can only be met when people who don’t normally agree on much decide to set their differences aside, at least temporarily, and do what really needs doing. Knowing about nature is essential, but understanding human nature – ourselves and others – is key. The presentation will illustrate these basic realities, focusing on how reasonable people, who historically disagreed about much, are now finding it possible to accomplish a Maine Woods makeover. Chris Beach practiced law, taught history and environmental studies, and in retirement has become a land conservation activist in the High Peaks district of the Maine Woods. His book Natural States: The Environmental Imagination in Maine, Oregon and the Nation explores the local roots of popular environmentalism.

February 8: Student Passive House –The first student residence hall based on the Passive House concept is being designed by GO Logic of Belfast, Maine, and Ann Kearsley of Ann Kearsley Design of Portland, Maine, for Unity College with input from faculty, students and staff.  Two GO Logic professionals, Matthew O’Malia, Architect, and Alan Gibson, Principal, will outline the project to date and discuss the Passive House concept, the highest energy performance standards for building. O’Malia is an architect and two-time New England American Institute of Architects Design Excellence Award winning designer at Elliott Elliott Norelius Architecture. Gibson is a carpenter, building designer, building energy analyst, and general contractor specializing in custom, energy efficient home construction.

February 15  TBA

February 22  TBA

March 1           Rep. Seth Berry, House District 67

March 22nd     Tricia Shapiro, Author: Mountain Justice

March 29th      Annette Decharon, Senior Marine Education Scientist

April 5th          Cindy Thomashow, WE Lead Award Presentation and Reception

April 12th        Karen McElmurry, Director, Center for Wildlife

The Lapping Lecture Series is named in honor of former Interim President of Unity College Mark Lapping.

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources.  Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.