Renowned environmentalist gives Dr. Ray lecture March 17

David Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College who was behind the construction of one of the greenest buildings ever in North America, presents "Democracy in a Hotter Time: Politics and the Long Emergency" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 as part of the Dr. Ray Energy and Environment Speaker Series at Youngstown State University.

The free lecture will be presented via Zoom: Meeting ID 941 9043 8917, and passcode "Mahoning". 

Orr, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Westminster College, a master’s from Michigan State University and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change and the Long Emergency and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse. He is the co-editor of four other books, including Democracy Unchained, and has also authored more than 220 articles, reviews, book chapters and professional publications. 

He organized the effort to design, fund and build the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, which the American Institute of Architects deemed “the most important green building of the past 30 years.” The U.S. Department of Energy called the center “one of the 30 milestone buildings of the 20th century,” while Building Design +Construction designated it one of the “52 game-changing buildings of the past 170 years.” He also was instrumental in the design and funding for the Platinum-rated Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center at Oberlin College.

In the past 25 years, Orr has served as a board member or adviser to 10 foundations and many other organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Institute, Bioneers and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. He is currently a trustee of the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, Children and Nature Network, and the WorldWatch Institute. He holds has nine honorary degrees and has received a dozen other awards, including a Lyndhurst Prize, a National Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation, leadership awards from the U.S. Green Building Council (2014) and from Second Nature (2012), and lifetime achievement awards from Green Energy Ohio (2015) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (2018). He has lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. He is the founder of the Oberlin Project and the journal Solutions.