Office of Public Relations

Pomona, NJ 08240

 

Stockton Water Watch Presents

Environmental Education Forum on Hazards of Overdevelopment

 

 

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Contact: Tim Kelly

Stockton Public Relations

(609) 652-4950

 

Galloway, NJ Water Watch of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey presents its annual Environmental Education Forum on Saturday April 1^st, 2006, beginning at 10 a.m. in N-Wing Cafeteria. This years topic, Hazards of Overdevelopment: Urban Sprawl in New Jersey, promises to offer timely and interesting discussions for all participants.

 

Keynote Speaker for the event is David Helvarg, President of Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org) and the author of Blue Frontier: Saving Americas Living Seas; and The War Against the Greens. He is editor of the Ocean and Coastal Conservation Guide, organizer of several conferences for ocean activists and winner of Coastal Living Magazines 2005 Leadership Award.

 

Helvarg has worked as a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America and has covered a range of issues from military science to the AIDS epidemic and has reported from every continent including Antarctica. He has also produced more than 40 broadcast documentaries for PBS, the Discovery Channel and others. His Blue Frontier campaign, founded in 2003 works to support seaweed (marine grassroots) efforts at the local, regional and national level to bring the voices of citizen activists into national decision making that will impact our public seas. There are now more than 2,000 blue groups working on ocean and coastal conservation, but largely working in isolation. Blue Frontiers mission is to unify and strengthen their efforts.

 

In addition to Helvargs talk, which takes place at 2 p.m. there will be numerous other activities. The day begins with a 10 a.m. registration and free breakfast, opening ceremonies including remarks by Assemblyman Frank Blee and Dean Thomassa Gonzalez, followed by workshop sessions on Ocean Stewardship, Giving Back: Gardening With Native Plants and Their Place in the Ecosystem; and Smart Growth presentation by NJ Department of Community Affairs.

Other workshops include sessions on Sprawling Development in the Pinelands; Citizens Agenda for Rivers: Sprawl and What You Can Do About It; and Developing Social, Economic and Environmental Justice Through Fair Trade.

 

There will also be special workshops for children in the morning and afternoon sessions, so the entire family is welcome to attend.

 

Lynn Stiles, Stockton Professor of Physics will speak on Reducing Energy Use in Urban Environments and John Peterson, an Atlantic County official, will discuss local development and its effects on the environment.

 

The event is free and open to the public, including breakfast and lunch.

 

Pre-register by calling 609-748-6097 or by e-mail at njcww@stockton.edu

 

 

 

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