LETTER: Bioneers coming to town

To the editor:

Recycling. Global warming. Terrorism. Food and water shortages. Endangered species. Pollution. Energy conservation. Urban sprawl. Social justice. Organic agriculture. Population growth. What do they all have in common? All are interrelated, and have biological and social consequences that will increasingly affect us in the years ahead. Which will impact us the most? And, more importantly, what do we do about them now?

As USU students, it’s easy to focus on things demanding our immediate attention (classes, jobs, and dates, among others) and neglect the bigger issues that will face us in the future once we graduate. Without our own understanding of these large global issues, it’s hard to trust any of the opinions we hear.

Fortunately, USU has arranged a solution for us: a day without classes so we can attend an event that will discuss all of the above, plus lots more. That’s right. Friday, Oct. 20, we have no classes, and can attend the Bioneers conference right here on our campus! The conference goes all weekend (Oct 20th-22nd), and will include dozens of speakers and discussions on topics we should all know more about. Perhaps best of all, students can attend for free with scholarships the University has provided if they sign up in room 103 of the Eccles Conference Center (in the basement, open between 8 and 5), and even get class credit for going. See http://extension.usu.edu/bioneers for the full program. One workshop I’m looking forward to is the discussion on the Mormon Environmental Ethic: our role as stewards of the earth (Saturday the 21st at 4:30). But there will be so many other topics discussed that weekend that it would be impossible to attend and not benefit from the conference.

Jesse Walker