Kelsey Richardson
@gcsunade
Best-selling author and lecturer, Gary Ferguson takes GC on a ride through the rich history of conservation in America in honor of Earth Week.
The Campus Green Initiative Fund Committee invited students and faculty to attend the CGIFC Symposium from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 23 in A&S Auditorium. Ferguson enlightened guests with his talk, “Earth Time: Conservation from the Radical Center.” Directly following the lecture, a panel of five esteemed guests accompanied Ferguson to answer people’s questions and to discuss conservation in today’s society.
Gary Ferguson has published numerous articles in popular magazines and newspapers such as Vanity Fair and The Los Angeles Times. He has written 22 books on science and nature, and travels around the country giving stimulating keynote presentations tailored to each of his specific audiences.
Ferguson fearlessly opened up his lecture through acknowledging how people are currently destroying themselves and the planet. Through his own research he generated the theory that every 40 to 50 years people become more self-aware of the damage inflicted on the environment and have a need to reconnect with nature.
He traced the movement back a few hundred years and made these connections for his theory; he concluded that the most recent environmental movement occurred during the 60’s and 70’s. These two decades were during the post-WWII turmoil of air pollution, which birthed environmental organizations and groups like the Environmental Protection Agency.
If his theory proves to be correct, then the next cycle is now. Ferguson believes that if we took on the ancient definition of beauty and brought it into our lives, then we’d live better and the environment would become better.
The true definition of beauty to Ferguson is “being of one’s hour.” Living in the moment, being happy, and doing what is right embodies true beauty.
“Ferguson offered an enlightening perspective on how we should interact with the environment,” said senior mass communication major Andrew Podo. “We all need to get our heads out of the clouds and give ourselves what we need—a healthy, thriving planet.”
