Contact:  Rich Brown, associate professor, (360) 650-7320, Rich.Brown@ wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present a special remount of “US” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in the Performing Arts Center Mainstage Theater.

Western Washington University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present a special remount of “US” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in the Performing Arts Center Mainstage Theater.

Originally performed in April of 2011, “US” is an original work devised by 18 Western students and directed by Western associate professor Rich Brown.  The production has been selected as one of four shows to represent region seven, which consists of seven states and parts of California and Nevada, to travel to the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival in Fort Collins, Colo.  The performance is a benefit, with the ticket proceeds going towards offsetting the travel costs for the production.

“US” is an investigation of the young American experience and is inspired by Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and photographer Robert Frank’s book “The Americans.”  The production explores why these two artists traveled thousands of miles to ask “what does it mean to be an American?” and investigates what that question meant 50 years ago and how it resonates for audiences today.  Having worked collaboratively for nearly a year, an ensemble of Western students devised the original theatre piece, which contains live music, singing, dance and moments of heightened theatricality.

The production contains some adult material.

Tickets are available through the Western Box Office and costs $12 for general admission; $10 for seniors, Western faculty and staff; and $8 for students.

The Western Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to the performance.  For individual tickets or disability accommodations, contact the Western Box Office at (360) 650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu.

For more information, please call the Western Theatre and Dance Department at (360) 650-3876 or visit http://www.wwu.edu/theatre.

Contact: Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-3520.

BELLINGHAM – Seth Vidana will present "Sustainability Initiatives and Programs at Western: The Campaign to Go Carbon Neutral" as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at noon on Friday, Feb. 3 in Academic West room 304 on the Western campus. 

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Vidana will discuss how Western hopes to become carbon neutral by 2050 and decrease its greenhouse gas emissions more than a third by the end of the decade. These programs far exceed any expectations put forward at state, national or international levels and their example may help lead decision makers to resolve climate policy stalemates and commit to real reductions in climate impacts.

Western’s Office of Sustainability is dedicated to integrating sustainability throughout the university’s culture and operations. The office is committed to advancing green energy, waste reduction and sustainability education. Sustainability programs aim to help Western minimize environmental impacts, uphold social equity, enhance economic vitality, and maintain human health.

 Vidana is the sustainability manager for Western’s Office of Sustainability.  He obtained his master’s degree in Environmental Education from Western’s Huxley College of the Environment in 2008.

Anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to come and participate; the presentation will include a question-and-answer period.  The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmentally minded community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities.  Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact the main office of Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3520.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world.  This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.

Contact: Seth Vidana, WWU Office of Sustainability, (360) 650-2491; seth.vidana@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University is 17^th on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the nation’s top 20 green energy purchasers in higher education.

Western annually offsets 100 percent of its electrical consumption from green sources via purchases of renewable energy credits (RECs).

Western was the only college or university in the State of Washington on the recently released EPA list.

The genesis for Western’s renewable energy program began more than seven years ago when a small group of Western students set a goal of having Western offset all of its electrical energy from a 100-percent renewable source. To meet that goal they proposed a student initiative to implement a fee that would offset the cost of purchasing renewable energy. 

As a result of their efforts and significant research into renewable energy, Western moved to the forefront of the renewable energy field, becoming the first university in the country to implement a student fee for the purchase of green energy.

The student initiative passed in a spring 2004 election with 84.7 percent approval.  The WWU Board of Trustees approved the student fee, which went into effect in 2005 and which allows the university to offset all of its electricity use with purchases from renewable energy sources.

In spring 2010, the WWU student body voted overwhelmingly – more than 80 percent in favor – to renew the Green Energy Fee. In addition to funding the purchase of the renewable energy credits from the Endeavor Wind Farm in Iowa, the new fee on students also finances projects devoted to piloting measures in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse-gas and solid waste reduction on WWU’s campus, as well as allowing for the creation of permanent and student staff positions who will be tasked with working with student and faculty for development of projects.

Current projects include a 5kw solar array, high-efficiency hand-dryers, LED conversion for parking lot lights, water-bottle refilling stations, and hand towel composting. All projects will be assessed for application on a larger scale.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary EPA program that seeks to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. Green power is defined by the partnership as electricity products that are partially or entirely generated from environmentally preferable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact biomass and hydro resources. For more information see EPA’s website on the Top 20 College and University Partners list.

Contact: Fran Maas, coordinator, Western Washington University Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series, (360) 650-7545, or Fran.Maas@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Troy Abel, associate professor of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University, will present “Ecotopia’s Prism - Five Seasons in Costa Rica’s Ecology, Economy, and Culture” at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb.15 in Communications Facility 110.

The event is free, open to the public and is part of Western’s Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series, which celebrates and shares the wealth of knowledge and talent on Western’s campus.

Drawing on his research collaborations over the past five years with Western students, faculty and Costa Rican’s conserving tropical rainforests, Abel will share his insights on ecological citizenship, political biogeography, and immersions in some of the most biologically intense places on the planet. He believes that while Costa Rica’s conservation of biodiversity began in their protected areas and national parks, it will be finished outside of them. 

Costa Rica is translated as rich coast, a name originating from Spanish conquistadors who mistakenly thought the land was filled with gold. Many now recognize that Costa Rica’s riches are more green than gold with more than 4 percent of the world’s estimated biodiversity. Costa Rica has universal health care, a longer life expectancy than the U.S., and no military. Only by expanding our attention to all of these facets can one begin to see “Ecotopia’s Prism,” how Costa Rica’s intersections of ecology, economy, and culture foster and inhibit sustainability. 

Abel received a doctorate in Public Policy from George Mason University and is an associate professor in Western’s Department of Environmental Studies. He is also program director of Huxley College of the Environment’s Annual Rainforest Immersion and Conservation Action (RICA) study abroad initiative in Costa Rica.  Abel’s scholarship focuses on the environmental governance challenge of informing policy with sophisticated social and ecological science while simultaneously increasing transparency and participation in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental and conservation policies. He has explored why environmental problems and solutions are often framed in only technical or democratic prisms and how this hinders ecological governance. Abel argues that society needs a better integration of science and governance.  The convergence and resolution of these rationalizing and democratizing impulses is a prominent feature of Abel’s research programs on environmental justice, environmental information disclosure, and the conservation of biodiversity. 

For more information about the Turning Points faculty speaker series call (360) 650-7545 or visit http//www.wwu.edu/turningpoints.  

Contact: Jacquelyn Styrna, coordinator, College of Business and Economics: Center for Excellence in Management Education at Jacquelyn.Styrna@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3896

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics (CBE) will host Howard Sharfstein for its Ethics and Social Responsibility Speaker Series from 3-4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3 in Communication Facility room 115.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Sharfstein is senior counsel for Kimberly-Clark Corp., based in Roswell, Ga. Howard provides legal support to the corporation and advises Kimberly-Clark’s North American and European technical staff and business leaders concerning compliance requirements that attach to air emissions, water discharges, waste disposal and occupational safety requirements.  Howard is called upon to provide advice concerning Kimberly-Clark’s sustainability policy initiatives, including its fiber procurement (forestry) policy and relationships with non-governmental organizations.

Before joining Kimberly-Clark, Howard was a practicing environmental attorney at Troutman Sanders in Atlanta, Ga., and Nixon Hargrave (now Nixon Peabody) in Washington, D.C. Howard earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York at Albany, N.Y., a master’ degree in Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a juris doctor degree from Georgia State University.

Kimberly-Clark is the maker of Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Scott and other well-known brands and was the recipient of the 2011 American Business Ethics Award based on its high ethical standards in dealing with employees, customers and stakeholders.

The Ethics and Social Responsibility Speaker Series is presented by CBE’s Center for Excellence in Management Education. For more information about these events and others, please contact Jacquelyn Styrna at (360) 650-3896.

Contact: Shirley Osterhaus, Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies coordinator, (360) 650-2309 or shirley.osterhaus@wwu.edu.

BELLINGHAM – Jafar Yaghoobi will present “Let Us Water the Flowers: The Memoir of a Political Prisoner in Iran” as part of Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College World Issues Forum at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in the Fairhaven College Auditorium on the Western campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

The 1980s were the bloodiest decade in Iran’s recent history.  Based on his memoir, “Let Us Water the Flowers,” Yaghoobi, a former political prisoner in Iran, will recount the 1979 revolution, the torture, arrests and mass killings under the regime of Ayatollah Khomeini, and the struggle that continues for freedom, democracy and justice with the youth of Iran.  His story seeks to understand the complexities of Iranian politics and the nature of the current regime, many of whose leaders were involved in the events described.

For more information on the World Issues Forum speaker series presented by WWU’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, call Shirley Osterhaus at (360) 650-2309 or visit the World Issues Forum Website at http://www.wwu.edu/depts/fairhaven.

WWU's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, established in 1967, is nationally recognized for innovation in teaching and  learning, intensive advising, student-designed majors, narrative assessment, experiential and independent learning and a commitment to social justice.

Contact: Margaret Fast, reference and instruction librarian, Western Libraries at (360) 650-3174 or margaret.fast@wwu.edu.

BELLINGHAM – Hannah Boxberger will discuss "Classical Mythology in the World of Harry Potter ” at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in the Wilson Reading Room, 4C at the Western Libraries on the Western campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

The Western Libraries welcome the general reader, fan of Greek mythology and especially those who love Harry Potter to this presentation.

Boxberger, a senior at Western, is majoring in Classical Studies.  She is planning a career in library science. Boxberger studies Greek, ancient literature and ancient history, and is also an expert on all aspects of the Harry Potter world.

For more information about library events, please visit the Western Libraries web site at http://library.wwu.edu/ or contact Margaret Fast at (360) 650-3174 or margaret.fast@wwu.edu .

Contact: Dan Purdy, associate director, Western Washington University MBA Program daniel.purdy@wwu.edu.

BELLINGHAM – The Western Washington University Master of Business Administration Program is holding an information session for prospective MBA applicants at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Parks Hall room 441 on the Western campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Professionals will have the opportunity to hear about the advantages an MBA degree from Western provides, from current students, alumni and professors.

A presentation and panel discussion will focus on the three on-campus MBA programs offered by Western: Traditional, Accelerated and Evening.  Anyone interested in learning about the MBA program is welcome to visit the on-campus session. No reservations are needed to participate and refreshments will be served.

Free parking is available in the (south campus) gravel C lots between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays and weekends. More information including directions and parking information can be found at www.cbe.wwu.edu/mba/openhouse.asp.

The Western MBA Program has been offering graduate business education in the Pacific Northwest for 30 years.  The program offers a part-time evening track, part-time weekend track, traditional two-year track, and accelerated one-year track to serve the needs of the increasingly diverse student population of Washington State. 

The Western MBA Program is ranked among the Top 100 MBA Programs in the world by the Aspen Institute and is number one in the state of Washington. Fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as one of the top 5 percent of business schools globally, the Western MBA Program seeks to provide a high quality, personal and flexible experience for its students.

Information, maps and directions for the MBA open house can be found at the Western MBA program web site: www.cbe.wwu.edu/mba. To learn more about Western’s MBA program, please contact Dan Purdy by e-mail at daniel.purdy@wwu.edu.

Contact: Rick Merrill, Instructor, (360) 650-4637, Richard.Merrill@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will feature its “Cabaret” performance at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11, in Room 16 of the Performing Arts Center.

Three times a year WWU students and faculty present new work in “Cabaret.”  Full of unexpected pleasures, the performance showcases collaborative efforts that span multiple arts forms – such as dance, theater, song, poetry, and improvisation.

Tickets are $5 and are available through the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 or http://www.tickets.wwu.edu.

WWU Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For individual tickets and disability accommodations, contact the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146.

Now in its fourth year, the “Cabaret” performance series features cutting-edge works created by WWU students and faculty.  For more details about future Cabaret events, or other dance performances, visit http://www.wwu.edu/dance/ or call (360) 650-3789.

BELLINGHAM – Harrell Fletcher and Wendy Red Star will present “Art and Social Engagement” as part of Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College World Issues Forum at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in the Fairhaven College Auditorium on the Western campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Fletcher and Red Star will present and discuss various examples of community-based art projects they have generated. Fletcher's socially engaged art practice focuses on “participatory site-specific projects” that reference issues and histories of specific communities and places. Red Star concentrates on subjects related to her experience of growing up on the Crow Reservation, examining the history and current culture of Native Americans.

Fletcher is an associate professor of Art and Social Practice at Portland State University. Star is an adjunct professor of Art at Portland State University.

For more information on the World Issues Forum speaker series presented by WWU’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, call Shirley Osterhaus at (360) 650-2309 or visit the World Issues Forum Website at http://www.wwu.edu/depts/fairhaven.

WWU's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, established in 1967, is nationally recognized for innovation in teaching and  learning, intensive advising, student-designed majors, narrative assessment, experiential and independent learning and a commitment to social justice.