Population activist and WWU alumna Roberta Riley to speak at WWU Nov. 5

The Huxley College Speaker Series at Western Washington University will host Roberta Riley of the World at 7 Billion Project on Women and the Environment at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5 in Communications Facility 105 on the WWU campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

Climate change and other environmental pressures intensify as human numbers keep climbing – so what has been learned from more than 40 years of worldwide efforts to stabilize population? The real lesson is that raising the status of women is the best way forward, but the path to success is obscured by some strange political bedfellows.

Roberta Riley leads the World at 7 Billion Project on Women and the Environment at AMERICANS FOR UNFPA (the United Nations Fund for Population Action), where she works to build strong, joint collaborations between environmental and women's health activists. In her former role as Legal and International Counsel for Planned Parenthood, she created and led the Fair Access to Contraception Project, which inspired 89 percent of American health plans to cover prescription contraceptives. In recognition of her achievements on behalf of women, she has received several honors, including the Planned Parenthood Shining Star Award and a Ms. Magazine Women of the Year Award.

Riley received a law degree in 1986 from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science in 1982 from WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment. She lives in Seattle with her husband and teenage daughter.

Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to come and participate. The presentation will examine opportunities for addressing these issues and include a question-and-answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmental studies/ science community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world. For more information, please contact Patrick Buckley of WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-4773.

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, and the College continues to earn international recognition for the quality of its programs.