Bill Moyer to Speak on ‘Solutionary Rail’ on April 6 at Western

BELLINGHAM – Bill Moyer, co-founder of the Backbone Campaign, will discuss the people-powered campaign to electrify America’s railroads as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 6, in Miller Hall 138 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Moyer will discuss why electrifying the railroads is the next step in a just transition to a green energy economy. “Solutionary Rail: A people-powered campaign to electrify America’s railroads and open corridors to a clean energy future,” released in November 2016, proposes running United States railroads on renewable energy generated along the routes. Rural energy generation, the book argues, would then have two ready markets: the trains themselves and associated transmission lines to urban centers.

Moyer, of Vashon Island, co-founded the Backbone Campaign in 2003 with friends from an artist affinity group. He has traveled dual and intersecting paths as both an activist and artist. Moyer has emerged as a leader in the theory and practice of "artful activism." He designs and produces creative political actions and provides trainings in grand strategy and creative tactics around the country.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2949 or visit the website: https://huxley.wwu.edu/huxley-college-speaker-series.