21st Annual Spring Environmental Lecture and Luncheon

A New Food Culture for a Sustainable Future

Ticket Info

Chairmen
Suzanne Cochran      
Katheryn P. Kempner
Joanne W. Prager
Catherine B. Sidamon-Eristoff      
Mary C. Solomon
Constance Spahn

The 21st Annual Spring Environmental Lecture and Luncheon was a great success.  We are grateful to all who supported us this year.  

Hear highlights of the Spring Environmental Lecture and Luncheon here by downloading our podcast.

This year’s lecture addressed topics ranging from urban agriculture to how eating locally can affect the community, environment, and our planet.

Lynn Sherr, moderator, has been a longtime correspondent for ABC News’ “20/20” and currently freelances on the air, in print, and online. Throughout her career she has covered a wide range of stories, specializing in women’s issues and social change as well as investigative reports. Her memoir, Outside the Box: My Unscripted Life of Love, Loss and Television News, was published in 2006, and she co-edited Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life. She is working on a new book. She is moderating the Spring Environmental Lecture and Luncheon for the eighth time.

Nevin Cohen, panelist, is assistant professor of Environmental Studies at The New School, where he teaches courses in urban planning and food systems. Dr. Cohen’s research focuses on urban food policy, particularly innovative planning strategies to support food production in the urban and peri-urban landscape, public policies to engage citizens in sustainable food production, urban planning and food access, and civic agriculture in cities and suburbs. He is currently a fellow of the Design Trust for Public Space, working on a project called Five Borough Farm to develop a citywide urban agriculture plan for New York City.

Dickson Despommier, panelist, is emeritus professor at Columbia University, having served there as professor of Public Health (Environmental Health Sciences) and Microbiology from 1971 to 2010. Over the past decade, Dr. Despommier has developed the concept of urban agriculture in tall buildings, known as vertical farming. He has presented the concept of the vertical farm at numerous forums and has authored a book on the subject: The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.

Nancy E. Easton, panelist, is the founder and executive director of Wellness in the Schools, a nonprofit organization that inspires healthy eating, environmental awareness, and fitness as a way of life for children in public schools. She worked for over 15 years as a New York City public school teacher and school leader. She earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, her Master’s degree from Bank Street College of Education, and her Administration and Supervision certification from City College and Fordham University. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

We hope you will join us for the 22nd Annual Spring Environmental Lecture and Luncheon scheduled for Wednesday, April 25, 2012. For more information, please call (212) 313-7161.