Haffenreffer Challenge Matches Gifts to Center

What may appear as a traditional soirée by the beach on Sanibel Island, holds a higher purpose for community supporters, Florida Gulf Coast University students and faculty who benefit from the opportunities provided by the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education throughout the year. Mallory and Peter Haffenreffer, the Sanibel residents who hosted the Center’s Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration at their beachfront residence on Saturday, February 9, 2013, have graciously renewed their Haffenreffer Challenge, which will match gifts to the Center up to a total of $12,000.

As part of the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend, attendees of the party with a purpose contributed funds to support the Center’s mission. Proceeds of the weekend events benefit scholarly publications, student employment and research, and ongoing educational events.

At the Fundraising Celebration, poet Alison Hawthorne Deming made an appeal for gifts to be matched through the Haffenrefffer Challenge and concluded with her metaphorical poem, “Mosquitoes”. It spoke of the small sacrifices people make for “selfless service to their future” and aimed to show guests that their contributions help Center members realize their dreams and create a better future for both the local and global community. Deming's poem can be viewed below.

 Leslie Gregory played harp inside the Haffenreffer’s home while harpist Julia Lane and violinist Fred Gosbee shared their lovely music on the beach. Center Board Co-chairs, Mary Evelyn Tucker and David Orr made brief remarks just after sunset and the Haffenreffer Challenge was announced. Tucker provided the cosmological context for the Center’s work by drawing attention to the larger story of the universe, which is the subject of her 2012 Emmy Award Winning film, Journey of the Universe. Well-known as a leading authority on climate change, Orr suggested the question is not “if” but “when” the disastrous effects will be felt and insisted that we all have a moral obligation to be stewards of the planet. His sobering talk stressed the need for action and suggested that it is future generations that will suffer the consequences of our actions now.

The Fundraising Celebration followed the Center’s annual Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture, which was a poetry reading by beloved poet Mary Oliver, Friday, February 8, 2013. Nearly 400 people attended the annual event at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, with overflow seating in the Parish Hall and many at the jumbo screen outdoors under the stars.

For more information on matching contributions to the Center, please call Director Peter Blaze Corcoran at (239) 590-7166 or email us at cese@fgcu.edu.

Center Hosts Successful Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend!

Anticipation, awe, and wonder filled the air as beloved poet Mary Oliver prepared to deliver the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education’s Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture. Nearly 400 people were in attendance in the pews at St. Michael and All Angels Church, in the overflow seating in the parish hall, and at the jumbo screen outdoors under the stars. Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran observed that no matter where people were, they were engrossed in the reading. “It was wonderful to see that poetry lives!,” he said.

Along with the public, Florida Gulf Coast University students, Center supporters, members of the Board of Advisors, and Center staff absorbed Oliver’s descriptive connections to the natural world, which were sometimes personal and at other times universal, inquisitive, and inspiring. The annual event seeks to engage the public in discussions on sustainability, ethics, democracy and literature with scholars and public intellectuals. Oliver was invited to speak because her lyrical poetry has inspired a deep appreciation for the wildness and beauty of nature. Her poems included those from her recent publication, A Thousand Mornings, and others from forthcoming publications.

At the Lecture, FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw presented Mary Oliver with the Rachel Carson Award. The Center gives its highest award, in the form of a conch shell, to a recipient who embodies Rachel Carson’s contributions most relevant to the Center- public policy based on sound science and ethics, active participation of an ecologically-literate citizenry, and appreciation of the natural world through the literary arts and environmental education.

The following evening was full of food, fun, and fundraising to support the Center’s mission. Harpists and a violinist created a magical scene for guests to mingle and share ideas with one another at the beachfront home of the Peter and Mallory Haffenreffer. Gifts to the Center are being matched by the Haffenreffers up to a total of $12,000.

Renowned poet Alison Hawthorne Deming and Center Co-chairs Mary Evelyn Tucker and David Orr made brief remarks just after sunset and announced the “Haffenreffer Challenge. Proceeds of the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend fund scholarly publications, student employment, and ongoing educational events.

For more information on matching contributions to the Center, please call Director Peter Blaze Corcoran at (239) 590-7166 or email us at cese@fgcu.edu.

Thank you for your generous support!

The Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture on Friday, February 8, 2013 is fully subscribed for reserved contributor seating. We have reserved the remaining seats for the public and FGCU students.  These will be available at a first come, first served basis from 5:00pm on the day of the Lecture. 

We are now reserving seats in the Parish Hall for a direct video feed of the Lecture for contributors if desired.  We expect there will also be free seating in the Parish Hall for the public. This will be available on a first come, first served basis.  Please feel free to call or e-mail us if you have questions.

The Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration on Saturday, February 9, 2013 is also fully subscribed.  We are happy to take names for a waiting list as we do expect cancellations.  Please contact the Center for further information at cese@fgcu.edu or at 239-590-7166.

The Latest Details on the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend February 8-9, 2013
Featuring Mary Oliver

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education is working hard to prepare for its Annual Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend! The poetry of Mary Oliver will bring local and national environmental educators under one roof in February. The renowned poet will deliver a reading of her work as the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 7:30 PM at St. Michael & All Angels Church.

The annual event seeks to engage the public in discussions on sustainability, ethics, democracy and literature with literary scholars and other intellectuals from home and abroad. Center Board of Advisors Mary Evelyn Tucker and David W. Orr, and FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw will share a pew with fellow literary enthusiasts, and other academics who promote the Center’s mission, to enjoy an evening of awe and wonder. 

The Lecture is free and open to the public, but seats will be reserved for contributors to the Center’s Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration.

Tickets will be distributed the day of the Lecture on the porch of St. Michael & All Angels Church.

For free, non-reserved seating, tickets will be available at 5:00 PM on a first come, first served basis.

For contributors with reserved seats, tickets will be available for pick up anytime from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

The doors will open for all ticket holders at 6:45 PM.

At 7:30 PM any tickets not picked up will be distributed to others. 

The Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration will take place on Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. at the Sanibel Island beachfront home of Peter and Mallory Haffenreffer. This is the Center’s major fundraising event of the year and proceeds help advance the mission to work toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for Earth through scholarship, education, and action. Funds raised by the Center will be allocated to its many initiatives, including grant programs for faculty and students, educational events, and employment opportunities for students.

Invitations for the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend were mailed in early January. If you would like an invitation or would like to be added to the Center’s mailing list please contact the Center by email at cese@fgcu.edu or by phone at 239-590-7166.

Center to Host Pulitzer Prize Winner for Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture!

                             Mary Oliver. Photo by Rob Howard

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education is excited to announce that Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award recipient Mary Oliver will deliver a poetry reading with commentary for the 2013 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture. Last year’s Lecture was cancelled due to Oliver’s serious illness but she has recovered and will be reading from her collections of poetry, which will include her most recent edition, A Thousand Mornings (2012), on Friday, February 8, 2013. The Lecture Weekend on Sanibel Island will also include our Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration on Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Mary Oliver is widely recognized for her lyrical poems that use vivid imagery to portray the natural world and she has been chosen as the Lecturer because her poetry renders the gravity, grace, and beauty of the ordinary world. Much like Rachel Carson's unparalleled contributions to human understanding of our environment, Mary Oliver's work has inspired deep appreciation for the wildness and beauty of nature.

The Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture is a signature event of the Center that brings public intellectuals to Southwest Florida to discuss issues such as sustainability, ethics, democracy, and literature. Past Lecturers include Steven C. Rockefeller, Terry Tempest Williams, Mary Evelyn Tucker, David Orr, and Homero Aridjis. Rachel Carson was celebrated for her scientific revelations regarding the environment, with literary artistry that permeated her texts, and her work is the inspiration for the Center. Engagement with the natural world fosters reciprocity and care for the beauty and bounty of Earth. This concept is at the heart of the Center’s mission of working “toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for Earth through scholarship, education, and action.”

The Lecture will be held on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Michael and All Angels Church on Sanibel Island. The Lecture is free and open to the public, but seats will be reserved for contributors to the Fundraising Celebration. For more information on this year's Lecture, Mary Oliver, or past Lectures, please visit our Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Series page.

The Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration will occur the following evening, Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Sanibel Island beachfront home of Peter and Mallory Haffenreffer. This is the major fundraising event for the Center and helps us to further our sustainability initiatives locally and globally.

For more information on these events or to request an invitation, please feel free to call Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran at (239) 590-7166 or email cese@fgcu.edu.

Reserved Seating

The Lecture is free and open to the public but it is a ticketed event. Reserved seating will be provided to those who contribute to the Ninth Annual Fundraising Celebration. Tickets will be issued at the church on the night of the Lecture to non-contributors and to contributors. For more information or to request an invitation to the Lecture and Fundraising Celebration, please contact the Center by email at cese@fgcu.edu or by phone at (239)-590-7166.  

Remembering the Legacy of Tim Gardner

Tim Gardner, center, talked with fellow Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Host Committee members November 21 on Sanibel Island.  

It is with much sorrow that the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education has lost a dear friend and active contributor. Sanibel Island resident Tim Gardner passed away suddenly on November 25, 2012. Tim’s care and commitment to better his surroundings on a local and international scale will be sorely missed.
 
Tim was an active member of the Host Committee for the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend and offered suggestions at this year’s first committee meeting in November for the 2013 event. We were fortunate to enjoy his good humor and long experience as a member.

Community involvement was an avid pursuit for Tim and he left behind an extensive record of engagements and accomplishments. Nationally, he had been tapped by President Nixon to help organize the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency and played a critical role in the management of fertilizers and pesticides, including the removal of DDT from the American market. Locally, Tim was a Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge Board member, one of the original leaders and President of the Clam Bayou Preservation Association, Vice President of the Bayous Preservation Association, and a member and past President of The Island Water Association. The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) received his volunteer services for more than 20 years, as did the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Loggerhead Turtle program, and he recently volunteered at the 2012 Galloway Captiva Triathlon in September. 

Tim served as the President of the International Osprey Foundation and he made many efforts to secure the preservation and recovery of the osprey, as well as address other environmental concerns on Sanibel Island. He was also a past board member of the Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. His interest in birds led him to be the coordinator for one of Sanibel’s districts during the National Audubon Society’s Annual Christmas Bird Count, of which he happily captained fellow observers from a pontoon boat.

Tim was widely recognized for his international accomplishments and local involvement but was a humble man. The Center hopes to honor his memory and the legacy of his pursuits.

Center Loses a Dear Friend

It is with deep sadness that we mark the loss of a dear friend of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education. On September 20, 2012, Mary Bursley Carter, age 97, passed away peacefully at her summer cottage at Portage Lake, Onekama, Michigan. She is survived by her four children Deborah Carter, Vicky Hurst, Ginger Carter, and Lander Carter, her daughter-in-law, Gretchen, her five grandchildren, and her nine great-grandchildren.

Mary grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She and her brother Gil were educated in Europe and in Michigan; she graduated from the University of Michigan. She spent many years wintering on Sanibel Island before moving there full time. She supported many Island civic, environmental, and artistic initiatives.

At age 90, she hosted the First Annual Fundraising Celebration of the Center at her home on West Gulf Drive. Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran said, “She was the Center’s first major supporter. She shared our commitment to a humane and sustainable future.” Hurricane Charley destroyed this home. She moved to Cypress Cove, but never missed an Annual Fundraising Celebration at the Haffenreffer’s home.

When asked what advice she would give to university students she said, “Do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want…whatever you do, have fun doing it!” The Center staff admired her enthusiastic approach to life, her faith, and her wisdom.

A memorial and celebration will be held next summer at Portage Lake in Michigan on August 3, 2013.

We are pleased to post her favorite prayer by a pioneer of nature, love, and protection.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord.
Where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, only light.
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand.
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in giving that we receive.
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Center Enjoys a Successful Student Dialogue on Sustainable Foods

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education would like to thank all who participated in the seventh annual Terry Tempest Williams Student Dialogue on Monday, October 8, 2012.  The event was a great success with over 200 students, faculty, administrators, and community members participating in an exciting and informative evening.

The evening began with a networking session with snacks and refreshments prepared by Center staff.  The session allowed guests to meet and talk with 14 local organizations and student groups who came to spread their own message about sustainable food systems. We extend our gratitude to the organizations that offered their time and knowledge for our event.  We would also like to thank our Distinguished Keynote Listeners, Dean Mitchell Cordova of the College of Health Professions and Social Work at FGCU, and FGCU Senior Tyler J. Offerman, who is the first student to have received this honor for his legacy of fighting for environmental justice. These individuals were recognized for their support in promoting more sustainable food choices in the community at large.

This year's Dialogue successfully illustrated how choosing to consume sustainable foods nourishes the mind, body, and soul. Panelists Kelly Walsh, Dr. John Edwards, and Dr. Kris De Welde spoke passionately on the subject and sparked an interactive dialogue amongst students and community members. The event raised awareness about the ethical and health implications behind sustainable food choices, and demonstrated how consumers in Southwest Florida can utilize local resources to achieve these benefits. This year’s Dialogue was moderated by Center Associate and Instructor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Civic Engagement at FGCU Brandon Hollingshead, who was instrumental in establishing the first event in honor of Terry Tempest Williams in 2005.

Kelly Walsh, President of the Food Foresters club at FGCU, proudly represented the student body as the speaker for the ‘mind’ segment of this year’s Dialogue. Dr. John Edwards, local chiropractor and real-food activist, addressed the physical effects of eating sustainably as the speaker for the ‘body’ portion of the lecture. Finally, Dr. Kris De Welde, Director of General Education and Associate Professor of Sociology at FGCU, concluded the evening by discussing the moral and ethical dimensions of sustainable food systems encompassed in the ‘soul’ segment. To view a transcript of  De Welde's comments please follow this link . Dr. De Welde also works closely with the Center as a Senior Faculty Associate. Together the speakers cohesively explored the ethical, moral, and health components of sustainable food systems and urged consumers to take these ideas into consideration when choosing when and where to procure their food. 

The evening ended with a lively question and answer session during which members of the audience were given the opportunity to ask the three panelists specific questions on topics covered earlier in the evening.  The panelists fielded a wide variety of questions from the diverse audience and candidly answered each question.  The three panelists provided a wealth of information to the audience and we thank them for donating their time and expertise for the Dialogue.

In preparation for this year’s Dialogue, Center Student Assistants created a “Guide to Eating Sustainably in Southwest Florida.” The goal of this guide is to provide students and community members with the resources necessary to make healthy, affordable, and sustainable decisions about the foods they consume.

Thanks again to all who helped to make this year's Dialogue a success.  To view photos from the event visit our photo gallery. For more information about the Terry Tempest Williams Student Dialogue and sustainable food systems, please contact the Center for Environment and Sustainability Education by email at cese@fgcu.edu or by phone at (239) 590-7166.

The Center is excited to announce its seventh annual Terry Tempest Williams Student Dialogue entitled “Sustainable Food to Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul.” The Dialogue will address ethical, humane, and sustainable food options available at Florida Gulf Coast University and in Southwest Florida.  This year's Dialogue will illustrate how choosing to consume sustainable foods nourishes the mind, body, and soul.  The goal of this year’s Dialogue is to demonstrate how a conscientious young person on a budget in Southwest Florida can utilize local resources and benefit from consuming sustainable foods. 

All are invited to attend the Dialogue on Monday, October 8, 2012 outside of the FGCU Cohen Center at 6:00 PM. The Center also encourages students, community members, faculty and staff, campus leaders, and stakeholders to attend the networking session for conversation and light refreshments beginning at 5:00 PM, as well as the question and answer session following the Dialogue.

We are pleased to announce our panel of speakers for this year’s Dialogue. Dr. Kris DeWelde is the Director of General Education in the Office of Undergraduate Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. De Welde’s personal and professional ethics have led her to work closely with the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education as a Senior Faculty Associate and integrate the Earth Charter into her teaching, especially in her Sociology of Food course. She is deeply concerned about the local and global food system, as well as the social and environmental consequences of our relationship to food, and envisions a day where all creatures are treated with dignity and respect.                                                            
John “Doc” Edwards is a chiropractor, community activist, and researcher whose expertise led him to be appointed Director of Public Education for Queensland's branch of the Chiropractor’s Association of Australia. He is the owner of Mama's Chiropractic Clinic, a family practice with a special focus on the needs of expecting moms and children. Doc was the host and executive producer of the video podcast Guerilla Health Report, which won a Telly Award in 2011. It was through reporting the holistic perspective on medical and science news for GHR that Dr. Edwards learned about the sustainable food movement, and that educational process shifted him from consumer to “real food” advocate.

Florida Gulf Coast University student Kelly Walsh is President of the Food Foresters, a club dedicated to the management of the student-initiated FGCU Food Forest. She is employed as the Food Forest Service-Learning Coordinator, where she leads events for students to learn about sustainable agricultural practices while earning their service-learning requirements. Her roles in the Food Forest allow her to delve into her “deep-seeded” passion for educating about sustainable food as a solution to many of the pressing issues facing our generation.

The Terry Tempest Williams Student Dialogue is a signature event of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education.  For more information, please contact the Center by email at cese@fgcu.edu or by phone at 239-590-7166.

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education is a Type Two Research Institute of Florida Gulf Coast University. The Center is comprised of faculty, students and administrators from all Colleges.

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education works toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for Earth through scholarship, education, and action. The Center advances understanding and achievement of the goals of environmental and sustainability education through innovative educational research methods, emergent eco-pedagogies, and educational philosophy and practice based on ethics of care and sustainability. The Center seeks to elevate the environmental mission of Florida Gulf Coast University and serve the university community, the local community of the Western Everglades and Barrier Islands, and the wider community of scholars.