Jay Bolthouse to discuss 'Japan at the Crossroads' at WWU April 8

Jay Bolthouse will speak on "Japan at the Crossroads: Productive Urban Greenspaces and the Transition to Slower Growth Trajectories” as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment speaker series at 3 p.m., Friday, April 8 at WWU’s Communications Facility Room 125.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Bolthouse will discuss the recent disaster, which has created challenges for Japan such as economic decline and imported food and energy dependency. Mired in political-economic stagnation, Japan is at a crossroads between entrenched but faltering models of growth and slower paths to sustainable progress. Restoration of productive greenspaces in the gap of rural and urban retreat can re-localize food and energy production and enable retirees and youth to engage in meaningful forms of leisurely work.

Bolthouse is a doctorate candidate at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo. His research focuses generally on the social-nature interface from the perspectives of human geography, political ecology and landscape planning.

The Huxley College of the Environment speaker series is held to bring together interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information contact Patrick Buckley, Western Washington University associate professor of Environmental Studies, (360) 650-4773 or patrick.buckley@wwu.edu.

WWU’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.