This May 4, 2005, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., will hold its annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference, titled “Energy for Peace” with speakers Mark Hertsgaard and Terry Tempest Williams. The event is expected to attract nearly 1,000 attendees.
Hertsgaard, an accomplished author in the field of environmental study and an environmental correspondent for The Nation, will speak. His latest book, The Eagle’s Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World has placed him among numerous independent journalists and critics the Bush Administration must reconcile with in respect to environmental policy.
Williams is highly regarded as one of the nation’s best speakers on the environment and a contributing author to such publications as The New Yorker and The Nation. Williams is best known for her book, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, in which she brings the subject of environment close to home, chronicling her mother’s fatal battle with ovarian cancer, which Williams attributes to nuclear testing carried out in the Nevada desert, near her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The annual event, dating back to 1981, signifies the international distress call and a call to action. Previous conferences have focused on topics such as the necessity and effectiveness of international sanctions and the international state of nuclear arms.
The conference was established by Florence and the late Raymond Sponberg of North Mankato, Minn. Florence Sponberg was awarded an honorary degree by Gustavus at last year’s conference in recognition of her work for the college both as a benefactor and trustee from 1986 to 2003.
Information about the conference and making a reservation is available by contacting Dana Lamb, Special Events Office at 507/933-7520.
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