SOCIAL,
ENIVRO
SPEAKERS ON
UO CAMPUS
Renowned women in the fields of
journalism and philosophy will be
rounding out UO’s academic year with
guest lectures on campus about ethics,
social justice and the environment.
Kathleen Dean Moore, OSU
philosophy and environmental ethics
professor, essayist and author, will
present “Ethics and Climate Change:
Sheryl WuDunn
What Do We Owe the Future?” 7:30
pm Monday, May 9, in 282 Lillis Hall.
Moore is the final speaker in the
Oregon Humanities Center’s 2010-11 “Sustenance” series. Moore “came to the
UO in 2003 to speak, and was one of the most profound and wonderful speakers
we ever had. It seemed appropriate to round out our series with someone local,
someone from Oregon,” said Julia Heydon, associate director for the Oregon
Humanities Center.
Moore is well known for her writings on cultural and spiritual connections to
nature including the books, The Pine Island Paradox, Holdfast, and Riverwalking:
Reflections on Moving Water. Her recent work, a volume of essays co-edited
with Michael P. Nelson, Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, is
a collection of essays from more than 80 visionary leaders presenting a case for
moral responsibility to the planet surrounding climate change and environmental
degradation. A book sale and signing will follow her talk.
Later in the week, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and best-selling author
Sheryl WuDunn will present her lecture, “Half the Sky: The Greatest Unexploited
Resource in the World Today Isn’t Oil or Gold or Wind. It’s Women,” 7 pm
Wednesday, May 11, in the EMU Ballroom.
WuDunn is co-author of three best-selling books, the most recent, Half the
Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide with Nicholas
D. Kristof. The book inspired Women’s Opportunity Worldwide, which
facilitates networking, collaborative fundraising, outreach and education to
nonprofit organizations and individuals in the Willamette Valley, www.
womensopportunityworldwide.org
WuDunn’s talk is funded by the Lorwin Lectureship on Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties series; presented by UO’s Center for the Study of Women in Society,
the events focus on women’s rights and hope to inspire activism.
“There are many nonprofits in the area interested in the issues that WuDunn
will present, and we think this is a great way to start the conversation on
women’s liberation,” said CSWS director Carol Stabile. Both events are free and
open to the public. — Heather Cyrus
IT’S ABOUT TIME
BY DAVID WAGNER
T
he geese that crouched over their nests in
April have abandoned their vigil. At first I
RED HENBIT
feared that their nests had been subject to a
predator’s marauding, the eggs destroyed. Happily,
I was wrong. I had just missed the beginning of the
setting and by the last week of April there were two
goose families bobbing around the ponds, one
family with six goslings and one with seven. It
is such a pleasure to watch these fuzzy
little bundles of cuteness through
binoculars. It is time again to remind
readers that we should never feed the
goslings bread. It causes their bones to
grow too fast, out of sync with their
feathers. The result is warped wing tips that prevent them from ever flying, an
incurable, permanent disability called angel wing that usually leads to early death.
I have come to appreciate knee pads when working in the garden. With
maturity comes a back that doesn’t like bending and knees that hate squatting.
With knee pads on, I spend much more time kneeling and crawling than I ever
used to. It has brought me closer to the little plants I dance with all the time, the
weeds. Now, when I grab an over ripe Cardamine (rhymes with goddaminny) the
seeds it flings around bounce off my glasses. Can’t get ahead of them if I wait too
long. On the other hand, I have become more fond of the red henbit, the prettiest
of the humble flowering plants we call weeds.
David Wagner is botanist who lives and works in Eugene. He teaches moss classes and leads nature walks. He may
be reached at fernzenmosses@me.com
8
MAY 5, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
IT’S ROPE
NOT DOPE
RECONSIDER
RIVERFRONT
Connecting Eugene is “cautiously
optimistic” about UO President Richard
Lariviere’s May 2 announcement that the
school will look into an alternative location
for the proposed Oregon Research Institute
(ORI) and Educational Policy Improvement
Center (EPIC) building, according to Paul
Cziko, a member of the student and
community based group.
Connecting Eugene has long advocated
the site at 1700 Millrace Drive, among
others, as an alternative location for the
ORI/EPIC project that would allow the
riverfront to remain free of the planned
parking lot and office building. The site is
“an appropriate place for this building,”
Cziko said.
Under Lariviere’s recommendation, the
parties involved in the development would
continue planning for the controversial
existing riverfront site while simultaneously
examining the feasibility of the Millrace
location, according to the UO’s press
release, which said developer Trammell
Crow Company has been asked to examine
the second parcel.
Connecting Eugene has also advocated
for a more up-to-date master plan for the
UO, one that is more ecologically, public
and people oriented, said Cziko. The current
master plan for development that called for
the ORI/EPIC riverfront construction is over
20 years old. This is something that was also
addressed in the school’s press release,
which included this quote from Rich Linton,
vice president for research and graduate
studies: “Beyond this project, the university
will launch a master planning process to
help address future facilities needs for UO’s
expanding role in catalyzing innovation and
its ties to economic development.”
The new direction from Lariviere may
have come from “concern voiced by
community members, students and faculty,”
Cziko said. Both student and faculty senates
have voted in support of Connecting
Eugene’s efforts to update the master plan
and rethink the proposed building and
parking lot on the riverfront. Though
encouraged by Lariviere’s statement, Cziko
says the UO has not withdrawn its permits
for the riverfront site, nor has Connecting
Eugene backed down on its case before the
Land Use Board of Appeals.
— Camilla Mortensen
LIGHTEN UP
Celebrate Hemp History Week with an
all day, family-friendly celebration from 11
am to 11 pm Friday, May 6, at Cozmic
Pizza. But leave those pipes at home,
because this is an educational event,
sponsored by Vote Hemp and the Hemp
Industry Association, geared towards those
who are unaware of the benefits of
industrial hemp.
“Whe n people hear the word ‘hemp,’
they immediately think marijuana,” said
Michael Moore, aka Papa Hemp, organizer
of the event. Most people, he said, don’t
know the difference.
The celebration is parsed into three
stages: the history of hemp, current issues
regarding industrial hemp and the future of
hemp, and how hemp can help save the
planet.
Currently, the U.S. is the only
industrialized country in which the growth
and production of hemp is still illegal,
though hemp growth and production was
legalized in Oregon by the state Legislature
in 2009. But in order to gain a profit,
farmers need to gain DEA approval and
obtain a tax stamp.
“People and farmers have applied for a
tax stamp many times over the years, but
their applications never get filed. The DEA
never responds,” said Moore.
Moore says the federal prohibition is
ridiculous because this biodegradable and
renewable resource has been put to many
positive uses. And it’s not even a good
high. “You’d have to roll a joint the size of
a telephone poll to get high on industrial
hemp,” Moore says.
Among the event’s speakers is David
Seber, who initially brought the industrial
hemp bill to the state Legislature. In
addition, there will be cooking
demonstrations and video presentations, all
highlighting the agricultural, industrial and
commercial benefits of hemp.
Throughout the day there will be
displays of agricultural and industrial hemp
products, as well as free samples of hemp
products for event goers and participants.
Samples will include hemp ice cream,
milk, butter, shelled hemp seeds, lip balm,
lotion, shampoo, shirts, bags and more.
Cozmic Pizza will serve hemp beer and
pizza.
At 5 pm, organizers will hold a hemp
fashion show with support from Greater
Goods and Sweet Potato Pie, showcasing
various hemp fashions for adults and
children. To round out this educational
event, musical acts including Michael Reed
and Friends, a psychedelic jam band, and
Maca Ray will start playing at 9 pm.
For
information
check
out
hemphistoryweek.com or contact Cozmic
Pizza at 338-9333; free before 5 pm, then a
$5 suggested donation. –– Chelsea Fryhoff
I don’t need to see President Obama’s birth
certificate to believe he’s a U.S. citizen. But I
would like to see his voter registration card.
Sometimes I’m not sure he’s a Democrat.
— Rafael Aldave, Eugene
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