Saint Martin’s hosts EPA senior counsel for this year's first Harvie Social Justice Lecture

September 15, 2010

Lacey, Washington — Saint Martin’s University will host the first of four lectures in its 2010-2011 Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series on Friday, September 24 at 4 p.m. in the Worthington Conference Center on the University’s Lacey campus (5300 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey, Washington). The inaugural speaker will be Barry E. Hill, senior counsel for environmental governance in the Office of International Affairs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hill’s lecture is entitled “Addressing Human Environment Challenges Related to Clean Water: A Silent Tsunami.” Admission to this, and all Harvie Lecture Series events, is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by Saint Martin’s University and the Thurston Country Bar Association, Hill will discuss the importance of water access and water quality on human health and the environment, and the potential impacts of climate change on the water supplies in Florida and Yemen, as well as on coastal communities in general. Hill will explore federal laws and policies relating to environmental justice and sustainable development.

“This is a very timely topic given the concerns raised by recent environmental disasters, including off-shore oil drilling and in particular the BP oil spill,” says Robert Hauhart, associate professor of criminal justice and legal studies at Saint Martin’s. “Having access to clean water must become a higher priority because it is fundamental to human health and reducing poverty. Our proximity to the Puget Sound and on-going concerns about water quality make this a particularly important topic locally.”

Prior to his tenure at the EPA, Hill worked at the Department of the Interior as the associate solicitor in the division of Conservation and Wildlife. He also ran a private law practice and has taught environmental law at Vermont Law School. In 2001, Hill received the American Bar Association’s award for “Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy.”

The Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series was created by Saint Martin’s University professor Robert Hauhart, Ph.D., J.D. to raise awareness of social justice issues within the community and to honor the work of Robert A. Harvie, J.D., former professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Saint Martin’s.

For more information on this event and the Harvie Lecture Series, contact Laura Hoff at lhoff@stmartin.edu. Or visit the series website at www.stmartin.edu/social_science/CriminalJustice/LectureSeries

This lecture is also part of a series of events for Saint Martin’s Reunion Weekend, September 24-26. For more information about reunion activities or to register, visit: www.stmartin.edu/alumni/reunion.

Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year, Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 22 majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250 students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its main campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College, and Tacoma Community College.

For additional information:

Robert Hauhart, Ph.D., J.D.
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4525
rhauhart@stmartin.edu