PUTNEY — Landmark College, 1 River Rd., holds its inaugural Energy Summit on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at Brooks M. O'Brien Auditorium in the East Academic Building.
The summit is part of “Green Week,” a series of events focused on the science of global warming and the role that individuals can take to protect the environment.
Guests include Christopher E. Tripler, an expert in ecosystems and climate, and Tom Clynes, a nationally published photojournalist.
A brief presentation on the science of climate change by Tripler is followed by a panel discussion. This event is free and open to all.
Tripler, an associate professor of biology and environmental science at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in ecology from Idaho State University.
His research focuses on understanding how forests grow, interact, and change from altered global climates, and he explores the logistics and science behind alternative energies such as wind and solar.
Peter Eden, Landmark College's president, said in an event announcement that “Chris Tripler has a wide range of knowledge and expertise related to the earth, organisms and plants on the earth, and the climate issues confronting human beings.”
Clynes is an author, photographer, and screenwriter who contributes regularly to National Geographic, GQ, Conservation, and Popular Science, where he is a contributing editor.
Clynes's feature stories often explore the intersection of science and adventure. He is a Knight Wallace Journalism Fellow and an International Reporting Project Fellow, and the author of the book Wild Planet.
He is at work on The Boy Who Played With Fusion, pending in 2015 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Green Week activities also include an electricity conservation challenge among Landmark College residence halls and a student trip to the University of Vermont to meet with the Vermont Student Climate Coalition.
Eden explained Landmark College student groups have taken lead roles in planning Green Week to demonstrate their keen interest in understanding and tackling environmental issues.
“My hope is that Green Week efforts will demonstrate that lifestyle changes are not as difficult as one might imagine, and while individual changes to reduce emissions and energy use are important, collective, team efforts are even more potent,” Eden said.