A expert panel discusses the future of water, and the impact of fracking and other energy initiatives. The New School, a university in New York City, offers distinguished degree, certificate, and continuing education programs in art and design, liberal arts, management and policy, and the performing arts. Visit http://www.newschool.edu/earthweek for more information."
Bio
Al Appleton
A senior fellow at the Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design and adjunct associate professor at Cooper Union, where he teaches an advanced concepts seminar on sustainability and economics. During the early 1990s, Appleton served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and director of the New York City water and sewer system.
Hilary Baum
President and founder of Baum Forum/Public Market Partners, Baum produces educational conferences and special events focusing on critical food and farming issues. As founding coordinating director of Food Systems Network NYC and the Public Market Collaborative, Baum has long been involved in the development of farmers' and public markets, agricultural marketing programs, and community-supported agriculture. She co-authored Public Markets and Community Revitalization.
Ashok Gupta
Ashok Gupta is NRDC's Air and Energy Program Director. He leads NRDC's advocacy in the Northeast on climate change, electric utility restructuring, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable building design and reducing petroleum dependence.
Prior to joining NRDC in 1991, Ashok worked with New York City's Department of Telecommunications and Energy. He has a bachelor's degree in physics and math from Georgetown University and a master's degree in economics from American University.
Mr. Gupta also serves on the Boards of Directors of: Hudson River Foundation, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, U.S. Green Building Council - New York; Clean Air-Cool Planet, Citizen's Union Foundation, and, Earth Pledge.
He received Environmental Advocates' 2001 Advocate Award for leadership in support of clean air and energy and in 2003 the Environmental Professional of the Year from the Association of Energy Engineers.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment.
Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 550,000 members nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information is available through NRDC’s Web site at www.nrdc.org.
Hilary Meltzer
Deputy chief of the Environmental Law Division at the New York City Law Department, Meltzer has worked extensively with the city's Department of Environmental Protection on issues relating to the potential impacts—for public agencies and local stakeholders—of hydraulic fracturing on New York's drinking water supply. Her work involves a combination of litigation and counseling, dealing particularly with enforcement cases intended to protect against contamination in the upstate New York watershed.
Joel Towers
Executive dean of Parsons The New School for Design since 2009 and previously dean of Parsons' School of Design Strategies. An associate professor of architecture and sustainable design, Towers leads the school's initiatives in sustainability and in 2006 became the inaugural director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School and associate provost for Environmental Studies. In 1992, Towers co-founded SR+T Architects, a firm that extends the domain of traditional practice and undertakes environmental research through its practice. He received his Master of Architecture from Columbia University and his BS in Architecture from The University of Michigan.
Louis Wright
A senior in Environmental Studies at Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, Wright is active in the antifracking movement. He also works with Amp Up Youth Summit, Bill McKibben's 350.org, and the university's undergraduate environmental student organization, ReNew School.