Clean Wisconsin: New speakers program will bring environmental leaders to Wisconsin

Contact: Mark Redsten, executive director, 608.251.7020 ext. 12 Doug La Follette, 608.266.8888 ext. 3

First event to be held September 30th in Madison

MADISON – Clean Wisconsin announced the creation of the Doug La Follette Environmental Speakers Program today, a lecture series that will bring distinguished environmental leaders to Wisconsin made possible by a $100,000 endowment from Secretary of State and Clean Wisconsin co-founder, Doug La Follette.

“Protecting the environment is one of the most important challenges we face,” said La Follette. “This speakers program will raise public awareness of today’s greatest environmental challenges and provide a forum to discuss innovative solutions.”

The speakers program will host semi-annual events in cities throughout Wisconsin. These events will feature environmental leaders who specialize in a wide range of issues affecting the state such as climate change, invasive species, renewable energy, and Great Lakes protection.

“We are very grateful to Doug La Follette for making this speakers program possible,” said Mark Redsten, executive director of Clean Wisconsin. “By bringing nationally recognized environmental leaders to Wisconsin, the Doug La Follette Environmental Speakers Program will provide an important opportunity to advance environmental policy through public discussion.”

The inaugural event will be held September 30th at the Pyle Center in Madison and will feature Kassie Siegel, director of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity. Siegel was the lead lawyer responsible for getting the polar bear listed as an endangered species and will discuss what’s at stake in some of today’s hottest climate battles – from the fight to save the polar bear and the Gulf oil spill disaster to climate legislation and the showdown over the Clean Air Act. The event will begin at 7:00pm and is free and open to the public.

For more information about the Doug La Follette Environmental Speakers Program or the September 30th inaugural event, please visit:

http://cleanwisconsin.org/events/LaFolletteEnvironmentalSpeakersProgram.html

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Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: information@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: http://www.cleanwisconsin.org.