The Passion and Energy of Youth
October 2009
Banner photo: [Sanna Lindberg/Getty Images]
Speakers on Climate Change and Nonviolence Address SGI-USA
Dr. Habiba Gitay [Philip Rosenberg] The SGI-USA Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series aims to foster a culture that rejects violence and addresses the root causes of conflict through the power of dialogue. It commenced in 2007, with lecturers focusing on one or more of the eight action areas defined by the 1999 UN Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace. Speaker events are held in New York, Washington D.C. and Santa Monica, California.
Dr. Habiba Gitay, senior environmental specialist at the World Bank Institute, spoke at SGI-USA's Washington D.C. Culture Center on June 2.
Involved in climate change research since the early 1990s, Dr. Gitay is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 together with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, for raising awareness of the social effects of global climate change.
In her lecture, Dr. Gitay emphasized that "In our own lives, subtle changes can make a big difference," and presented practical steps that people can take to preserve the environment, such as switching to more efficient heating and cooling systems, recycling, using public transportation and buying locally grown produce. She also noted cases of governments and ordinary citizens taking action to safeguard the environment, including the "No Waste by 2010" waste management strategy for Canberra, Australia, and the Special Program for Soil and Water Conservation and Agroforestry in Burkina Faso.
Dr. Gitay encouraged the audience members to initiate programs in their own communities to promote environmental protection, such as creating recycling programs and raising awareness for energy conservation in their schools or workplaces.
Reverend James Lawson [Erik Fischer] Peace activist the Reverend James Lawson gave a speech entitled "Striving to Create the Will to Peace" at the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica on June 20. His talk outlined ways of refocusing America's resources toward contributing to peace, beginning with individual efforts.
After being imprisoned in 1951 for refusing to be drafted during the Korean War, Rev. Lawson traveled to India to study the teachings of nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi. In the 1960s, at the urging of Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Lawson moved to the southern United States to teach nonviolence. He led Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles for 25 years, retiring in 1999. Today, he continues to speak out and train activists in nonviolence.
In his lecture, Rev. Lawson talked about the power of individuals to foster peace, and encouraged his listeners to take action in their own spheres of activity, including writing to leaders in society.
