By: Richard Meyer ~Copy Editor~
Xavier will be hosting a series of lectures on sustainability as a way to raise awareness on topics related to water.
“Xavier University is becoming known as a major convener of sustainability discussions in Cincinnati, engaging issues and sponsoring speakers and panels utilizing expertise at the local, regional, national and global levels,” Nancy Bertaux, co-chair of Xavier’s Sustainability Committee, said.
The lectures come as a part of the Sustainability Committee commitment to educating people on the injustice surrounding water.
This year’s theme comes in the wake of several water disasters nationwide and abroad.
“This academic year, the Sustainability Committee seeks to raise awareness on the topic of ‘water justice,’ building on last year’s theme of ‘energy justice,’” Bertaux said.
The first step in solving the water problems is education, which the Sustainability Committee intends to do through these lectures.
“Sustainability Committee is pleased to make many of our events free and open to the public, as part of our educational mission, and in keeping with our Jesuit tradition of men and women for others,” Bertaux said.
“As our campus sustainability plan states, ‘Care of the environment affects the quality of our relationships with God, with other human beings and with creation itself,’” she said.
The series welcomed several speakers last year and will continue to bring in many experts this year.
“The Distinguished Speaker Series of the Williams College of Business has recently sponsored major presentations on sustainability topics, including energy expert and physicist Amory Lovins in fall 2013, and Procter and Gamble’s Senior Vice President for Global Sustainability Len Sauers, who speaks on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at P&G’ on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 in Cintas Banquet Center,” Bertaux said.
The speakers will not only discuss water injustice on a local level, but also on a global level, taking into consideration the effects of a lack of clean water.
“Worldwide, nearly 800 million people don’t have access to safe water; more people have a mobile phone than a toilet. Diarrhea due to poor sanitary systems and impure water is the second leading cause of death among children; this kills more children than malaria, AIDS and measles combined,” Bertaux said.
