The 21st Ashland University Environmental Lecture Series kicked
off on Sept. 20 with a discussion of urban streams by Dr. Anne
Jefferson, Assistant Professor of Geology, Kent State University. Our theme this year is "The Ecology of Urban Living."
Dr. Jefferson's presentation was titled "The Science of Streams in the City" and can be viewed here.
Dr. Grewal will focus on the potential value and
hurdles in developing sustainable urban agricultural
enterprises. Daily needs of cities for food, water,
energy, and other materials are met almost exclusively through importation of
goods from distant places, often across continents. Urban agriculture offers a comprehensive framework for local
self-reliance and resilience and a means to reducing the ecological footprint
of cities. Interest in urban agriculture has escalated recently due to the
accumulation of vacant land particularly in post-industrial U.S. cities and
motivation to address food insecurity and childhood obesity issues in
disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. Urban agriculture can revitalize affected
neighborhoods and cities by generating new employment opportunities, increasing
access to healthy food and sustaining cities by
forming closed-loop ecological systems with vacant spaces, waste water
and solid waste as potential resources.
Extension. Dr. Grewal’s basic research has made important contributions to
the mitigation of insect pests in
both agricultural and urban settings. Grewal created
the interdisciplinary Urban Landscape Ecology Program, which
brings together scientists from a
wide range of disciplines
to address challenges
to urban landscapes and ecosystems.
The Environmental Lecture Series is supported by the Ashland University Environmental Science Program and a grant from the Lubrizol Foundation. All lectures are free and open to the public.
