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Jonathan Foley has made a career as a climate scientist, sustainability expert, educator, and public speaker. He has had a distinguished academic career, receiving his Ph. D from the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
From 1993 to 2008 he worked at UW – Madison where he launched the Climate, People and Environment Program, founded the Center for Sustainability and Global Environment, and served as the first Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies. From 2008-2014 he served as the founding director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, while also serving as the McKnight Presidential Chair of Global Environment and Sustainability. Then between 2014 and 2018 he worked as the executive director of the California Academy of Sciences. Since 2018 he has served as the Executive Director of Project Drawdown, “The World’s Leading Resource for Climate Solutions.”
UWL's Sustainability Program Manager, Andrew Ericson, simply describes him as a, "Sustainability Superstar".
His lecture will cover topics including climate change, sustainability, climate solutions, ecosystems, natural resources and much more. Hopefully, when you leave the lecture you will feel cautiously optimistic about the worlds ability to respond to climate change.
The presentation is part of the fourth annual Prairie Springs Lecture, funded by The Paul Fleckenstein Trust, which brings speakers to campus to discuss environmental issues. This year's lecture was also sponsored by the UWL College of Science and Health, UWL Green Fund, UWL Department of Geography & Earth Science, and Western Technical College Sustainability.