Seminar Series: The Arc of Human History: Challenges to Sustainability. Sundays, TODAY through November 5, 11:00 a.m., Fellowship Hall. Pick up a flyer in the narthex or see the Open Door for more details.
Today, October 15: The Challenge of Sustainable Mineral and Energy Resources. Stephen Marshak: Professor, UI Department of Geology, Director of UI School of Earth, Society and Environment. Look around the room in any building, and you’ll see a myriad of materials that came from the solid Earth. Bricks consist of baked clay, glass of melted sand, copper wires from smelted ore, and lithium from salt flats. Furthermore, the energy used to manufacture these and all other Earth materials comes mostly from fossil fuels or radioactive elements, which also come from the Earth. The discovery, extraction, production, and use of the material foundations of modern society have consequences for the environment. Furthermore, many of these resources are either running out, or come only from places that do not have friendly relations with the U.S. This presentation will introduce a few examples of Earth materials and the sustainability challenges that society faces because of our reliance on them.