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African American News
"Cong. John Lewis to Speak on Environment"
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Gala dinner will highlight importance of conserving Georgia’s endangered natural areas for long term environmental health
The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast is a tragic reminder of the power of nature and its effects on our living environment. In the coming months we're sure to hear more about the disappearing wetlands in the Gulf. In the coming months we're sure to hear more about the disappearing wetlands in the Gulf as well as the impact of natural disasters on poor and African American communities.
On Saturday, October 1, 2005, the Hon. John Lewis, U.S. Congressman representing the State of Georgia, will demonstrate the connection between the forests of the Southeast and life in metro Atlanta and the suburbs as the keynote speaker at a gala dinner, “Keeping it Wild: Celebrating the Natural Heritage of the Southeast” sponsored by the Wilderness Society. The dinner will be held at the Clark Atlanta University Student Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Congressman Lewis, a staunch environmentalist with a near-100 percent pro-environment voting record in the House, will show why conserving Georgia’s endangered natural areas is a vital issue for our long term environmental health.
The dinner is part of a series of events, including seminars and outdoor hikes, to draw the urban population’s attention to the magnificent natural wonders in the forests of the Southeast, and also the rate at which they could disappear if current trends continue. The events will illustrate the roles citizens can play in helping to conserve them and protect the integrity of our environment.
“The forests are the lungs of our environment,” says Frank Peterman, director of the Wilderness Society’s office in Atlanta. “They protect our water, purify our air, and provide living space for wildlife. The Wilderness Society has been working for 70 years in Congress and on the ground to protect our forests. But at the rapid rate at which the major land companies are selling off their lands, the forests on them are fast becoming subdivisions and other development. The entire community needs to be involved in the effort to get more of our forests into public ownership, so that we can have a good quality of life for ourselves and generations to come.”
The benefits of the natural environment on the human physical, emotional and mental health are well known. The series will include seminars on this and other topics, as well as outdoor hikes and visits to local nature preserves, including Arabia Mountain and Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.
"I believe that in the coming days and years, the cause of civil rights will become more and more about protecting green spaces, open land, about clean air, clean water, and clean land. It is about our fundamental right to pursue a healthy life -- physically, mentally, and psychologically,” says Congressman Lewis.
Tickets to the dinner are available at 1-800-843-9453 (weekdays 9:00 - 5:30 EST) or call The Wilderness Society at 404-872-9453, ext. 22.
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