• 2005 Dempsey Environmental Conference
  • Schedule
  • Biographies
    • Ed Begley, Jr.
    • Robin Morris Collin
    • Dave Foreman
    • Dale Jameison
    • Jane Lubchenco
    • Carolyn Merchant
    • George Miller
    • Andrew Revkin
    • Terry Tempest Williams
    • Elizabeth Woody
  • Order Videos/DVDs
• Public Policy Research Ctr
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  • Current Projects
    • CHIP
    • Oregon's Future Magazine
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    • Oregon Poverty Research
    • Forest Futures
    • Conservation Markets
    • Government Performance Management
  • Dempsey Lecture and Conference Series
  • Research Reports
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The conference was a great success! Audio and video of the lecture and conference proceedings are now available in a variety of formats:

1. VHS tapes and/or DVDs can be borrowed from Willamette University
2. VHS tapes and/or DVDs can be purchased

"Is Nature Calling? New Perspectives on Living with and Working for Nature"

Featured Panelists included: Ed Begley, Jr., actor and activist; Robin Morris Collin, Willamette University; Dave Foreman, The Rewilding Institute; Dale Jamieson, New York University; Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University; Carolyn Merchant, University of California-Berkeley; Congressman George Miller (D-California, 7th Congressional District); Andrew Revkin, The New York Times;Terry Tempest Williams, author and environmentalist, Elizabeth Woody, Ecotrust.

This conference explored connections between the professional lives and broader motivations, meanings, and implications of the life's work of an array of exceptional individuals working for the environment. Is Nature Calling? provided conference attendees an opportunity to learn what panelists do and, most importantly, why they do it. The mounting assaults upon the environment and the marginalization of human communities worldwide by the forces of globalization, the war on terrorism, and increased consumption, make it imperative for individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing both social and environmental sustainability to communicate their reasons and their passions to the next generation of citizens.

With participants ranging from novelists and activists to ethicists, reporters and scientists, some of the most eminent and articulate voices in the modern environmental movement discussed their motivations for what they do. They addressed how they have maneuvered between professional norms and personal beliefs. Many of the featured panelists have risked their lives, their professional reputations, or both, in their dedication to improving our relationship with nature and with each other. Their stories of commitment and transformation serve as cogent reminders of the personal sacrifice behind collective change. Their experiences navigating the tricky territory between the personal and professional illuminate the broader motivations, meanings, and implications of their professional lives, and how they fulfill their own spiritual and ethical commitments.