Discussing the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Professor Michael Hanemann of ARE discusses S.1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, on KPFA's "Letters to Washington."
(Scroll in to the 45-minute mark to hear the segment).
November 3, 2009
November 1, 2009
A New ARE Study Projects Growth Dividend from Comprehensive National Climate Policy
As the U.S. Senate debates clean energy and climate legislation, a new economic analysis finds that strong federal policy could stimulate both employment and income growth across the national economy. The new study was conducted by the University of California in collaboration with University of Illinois and Yale University and provides an in-depth, state-by-state examination of the impacts of three pillars of federal legislation: energy efficiency, renewable energy and limits on carbon pollution.
“This report shows that stronger federal energy and climate policies are compatible with economic growth,” said the report’s lead author David Roland-Holst, Adjunct Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley. “Those who say we cannot afford to take action now may not understand the opportunity we stand to lose by not acting. By revenue, energy is the world’s largest industry, yet traditional energy use patterns have created unsustainable carbon liabilities that threaten all of us. The next great knowledge-intensive sector will arise in an emerging multi-billion dollar global clean energy market. To participate in this technology breakout, we need policies that price carbon risk responsibly and create appropriate incentives for investors and innovators.”
Using EAGLE, a new state-of-the-art forecasting model, the study assesses the detailed economic implications of climate and energy policies currently under consideration in Congress. On a state-by-state basis, the study models both moderate and aggressive implementation of policies that put a cap on carbon emissions, create a market based program to reduce carbon emissions, and standards for and investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The study is available in summary form as a PDF: Report: New ARE Study Projects Growth Dividend.
October 21, 2009
Toward a More Integrated Social Science
By Professor David Zilberman
I got a kick out of learning that Eleanor Ostrom and Berkeley’s Oliver Williamson won the Nobel in Economics. I had a similar response when the Psychologist, Dan Kahneman, won the prize. These are important steps in the expansion of economics and establishing an integrated social science based on rigorous logical thinking and empiricism. This integrated new social science will provide insight on how people think and interact and how to improve the human condition.
It is useful to contrast the evolution of economics and biology. Research in the biological sciences first identifies and documents various organisms and only later develops a general theory, Darwinian evolution theory, that explains how species interact and evolve. In economics, Adam Smith developed a theory first. For years, economists considered only two institutions: the firm and the government. But, we know that not all firms are alike and that there are many other organizations that are neither government nor firms. Political scientists and sociologists are very good in identifying different types of organizations and Williamson and Ostrom marry the organizational complexity with basic behavioral principles that are emphasized in economics.
Continue reading "Toward a More Integrated Social Science" »
September 28, 2009
1.9 Million New Jobs Could Be Created by Climate & Energy Bills Being Considered by Congress
by Professor David Roland-Holst, ARE
A new analysis by ARE economists at University of California, Berkeley finds that the pollution reduction and energy efficiency measures contained in the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) – already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives -- could create between 918,000 and 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by $487-1,175 per year and boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $39 - $111 billion by 2020.
The new comprehensive national economic assessment of ACES was conducted in collaboration with University of Illinois and Yale University, using EAGLE, a new state-of-the-art forecasting model.
Table 1: U.S. Macroeconomic Impacts by 2020
EAGLE estimates of ACES impacts include the following:
A summary of the new report can be found at the EAGLE Fact Sheet on ACES.
A new analysis by ARE economists at University of California, Berkeley finds that the pollution reduction and energy efficiency measures contained in the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) – already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives -- could create between 918,000 and 1.9 million new jobs, increase annual household income by $487-1,175 per year and boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $39 - $111 billion by 2020.
The new comprehensive national economic assessment of ACES was conducted in collaboration with University of Illinois and Yale University, using EAGLE, a new state-of-the-art forecasting model.
Table 1: U.S. Macroeconomic Impacts by 2020
| 2010 Baseline | 2020 Baseline Projection | 2020 with ACES | Net Increase due to ACES | Percent Change due to ACES | |||||||
| Employment (Thousands) |
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EAGLE estimates of ACES impacts include the following:
- Between 2010 and 2020, national employment would see a net increase of 918,000 (moderate-efficiency case) to 1.9 million (high-efficiency case) jobs under ACES—on top of baseline growth of 24 million jobs over the same timeframe.
- By 2020, ACES would boost average real household income by $487 to $1,175 per year by 2020 (2008 dollars).
- ACES would result in U.S. real Gross Domestic Product that is $39 billion-$111 billion higher in 2020 than without legislation. That is a 0.2% to 0.7% increase on top of baseline growth of 28% between 2010 and 2020. (See endnotes for definitions.)
A summary of the new report can be found at the EAGLE Fact Sheet on ACES.
September 2, 2009
Homecoming at CNR 2009
Come back to Cal on October 2-4! You can register online and then check out who's coming.
Be sure to check out these fascinating lectures by CNR professors:
Friday, October 2
"Evolutionary Biology of Fungi: Human Pathogens"John Taylor, Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology 9:30-10:30 am Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall
Some fungi specialize as parasites of animals, including humans. Two such species, Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii, cause valley fever, a potentially fatal flu-like illness that mostly affects rural residents in the Southwest. This seminar will focus on how we have found genes that show evidence of natural selection and might be important to preventing or treating the disease.
"The Buzz on Bees: Why We Need Them for Our Health"
Claire Kremen, Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Bechtel Engineering Center Sibley Auditorium
2:00 - 3:00 pm
We rely on animal pollinators for 30 percent of our food supply, but what is happening to the bees? One of 20,000 bee species worldwide, honey bees are facing such problems as Colony Collapse Disorder, making them disappear from where we need them most. While many other species can contribute to crop pollination and thus human food security and well-being, we must adopt sustainable farming practices that provide good habitats and ensure that bee communities will thrive.
Saturday, October 3
"The Economics of Climate Change"Maximilian Auffhammer, Associate Professor, Agriculture & Resource Economics/International & Area Studies Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall 11:30 - 12:30 pm
Environmental economists have attempted to gain a better understanding of past, current, and future greenhouse gas emissions by studying emissions from developing versus developed countries. Professor Auffhammer will discuss how they can predict and comprehend the impacts of climate change and how these effects will influence current and future environmental policy.
"Aging: Genetic Regulation and Dietary Intervention"
Danica Chen, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology
Barrows Hall Lipman Room
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Can we slow aging and prevent age-related diseases? This seminar will explore the latest development on how genetic factors and diet regulate the aging process, and how small molecules are designed to prevent age-related diseases. Taking a pill a day to slow aging may not be a fairy tale after all.
August 25, 2009
Regulatory Woes Blocked Flow of Agbiotech Innovations
Regulatory changes enacted a decade ago appear to be responsible for dramatically slowing the flow of quality-improving agricultural biotechnology innovations to a mere trickle, reports a team of agricultural economists and biotechnology experts.
Findings from the study, published in the August issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, suggest that the slowdown may have lasting social welfare costs, such as the delay of nutritional improvements, production efficiencies and environmental protections.
"One of the great frustrations in the agricultural biotechnology community has been the failure of many new products with enhanced quality traits -- such as nutritional content, ripening control and processing attributes -- to reach consumers and processers," said Gregory Graff, an agricultural economist now at Colorado State University.
Graff led the study as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, working with Alan Bennett, a UC Davis plant science professor and executive director of the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, and David Zilberman, a professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley.
Continue reading "Regulatory Woes Blocked Flow of Agbiotech Innovations " »
April 21, 2009
ELP Alumna wins Goldman Environmental Prize
Working to reduce the impact of Bangladesh’s exploitative and environmentally-devastating ship breaking industry, leading environmental attorney Syeda Rizwana Hasan spearheaded a legal battle resulting in increased government regulation and heightened public awareness about the dangers of ship breaking.
Hasan is a 2003 alumna of CNR's renowned Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program, which provides mid-career professionals and policymakers from around the globe with an opportunity to interact with UC Berkeley faculty engaged in up-to-date research and policy analysis on sustainable environmental management.
Bangladesh is one of only a few countries in the world with a thriving ship breaking industry. Decommissioned ships from around the world are sent to Bangladesh and dismantled by hand on the beaches by unskilled workers who are often paid less than one dollar per day....
Continue reading "ELP Alumna wins Goldman Environmental Prize" »
March 15, 2009
Professor Max Auffhammer honored with 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award
Maximilian Auffhammer, assistant professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics and International and Area Studies, has received the Distinguished Teaching Award for 2009.
Auffhammer has been at Berkeley since 2003. Auffhammer revitalized one of the least successful courses in ARE, turning it into one of the most popular and successful courses in the graduate program. Students time and again point to the fact that he manages to turn a subject that they don’t necessarily respond to, economics, into something fascinating and relevant: “I have done poorly in econ before,” says one student, “and this is a 360 degree change for me. I now actually like econ.” Auffhammer’s colleagues, too, praise his teaching: “Not more than one in a hundred ladder faculty members achieve the kind of success in the classroom that he routinely achieves, year after year.” The Committee noted that he is both an incredible mentor and an incredible teacher, leading students through dense material with clarity and enthusiasm.
Continue reading "Professor Max Auffhammer honored with 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award" »
January 30, 2009
Green Perspectives: David Roland-Holst
In a recent conversation with Green Technology magazine, Professor David Roland-Holst, co-author of two key reports on green economic policies, discussed workforce creation, federal stimulus money and governmental policymaking.
Continue reading "Green Perspectives: David Roland-Holst " »
December 12, 2008
Study Underscores Impact of Court Imposed Water Pumping Restrictions
A study prepared by Berkeley Economic Consulting, under the direction of David Sunding, professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, outlines the statewide economic and water supply implications of ongoing water pumping restrictions imposed by federal courts in California to protect the Delta smelt. In early December, 2008, environmental and sport-fishing groups filed suit to force the complete and total shutdown of delta water pumping operations.
According to the study, statewide economic impacts can exceed $1 billion per year during drought years such as those currently facing the state, and may well exceed $3 billion should the state enter a prolonged dry period. Additionally, the report documents the severe water supply implications of the Court's orders. Even during average and wet periods the Court imposed restrictions exacerbate ongoing drought conditions by limiting the ability of water managers to replenish water storage facilities and groundwater reserves. The net result is a significant additional blow to the state economy and a greatly reduced ability to respond to severe drought and other emergencies.
"The export restrictions imposed in a effort to conserve the Delta smelt clearly add significant new risks to California's water supply system," said Sunding. "The water pumping restrictions not only worsen the current drought, they also ensure that water rationing, fallowed farm land and economic dislocation will be the norm. The study highlights the unsustainable nature of the state's current water system. Rather than a series of court-imposed restrictions aimed at individual species, California would benefit from a more comprehensive fix for the delta."
November 18, 2008
The staggering cost of climate change quantified for California
Hot on the heels of a report demonstrating the economic opportunities available to California if it invests in policies to address climate change, ARE adjunct professor David Roland-Holst has released a new study showing the enormous costs to the state posed by global warming.
About $2.5 trillion of real estate assets in California are at risk, with a projected annual price tag of between $300 million and $3.9 billion, according to the report.
Audio: David Roland-Holst discusses the report on KQED Forum.
Reports the LA Times:
For the first time, the costs of global warming's projected effects in the nation's largest state have been quantified: About $2.5 trillion of real estate assets in California are at risk from extreme weather events, sea level rise and wildfires, with a projected annual price tag of between $300 million and $3.9 billion.
Continue reading "The staggering cost of climate change quantified for California" »
October 20, 2008
Green Policies in California Generated Jobs
From the New York Times: "California’s energy-efficiency policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs from 1977 to 2007, while eliminating fewer than 25,000, according to a study to be released Monday."
The study, conducted by David Roland-Holst, an economist at the Center for Energy, Resources and Economic Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley, found that while the state’s policies lowered employee compensation in the electric power industry by an estimated $1.6 billion over that period, it improved compensation in the state over all by $44.6 billion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/business/20green.html
Roland-Holst's work was widely covered by media around thew world, including:
Discover Magazine
The San Francisco Chronicle
The Los Angeles Times
September 23, 2008
Michael Hanemann receives European Lifetime Achievement Award in Environmental Economics
W. Michael Hanemann, professor of agricultural and resource economics, has received the 2008 European Lifetime Achievement Award in Environmental Economics.
From the prize selection committee:
Excellence in our field comes in many forms, which include the following: publishing an article that, forever and a day, from Aberdeen to Zaragosa, is cited by researchers as the starting point for almost all further work in the field; straddling the interface between theory and evidence, such that the former is enriched, decisions are improved, and the credibility of our profession with key policy audiences is enhanced – the intellectual garment is not just woven, it is customised and put to good service; helps enhance and embed the reputation of resource and environmental economics in the field of economics; challenge the status quo, the received wisdom and change the terms of the intellectual and the policy debate; connect with different and disparate audiences and impress all with the originality, relevance and intellectual rigour of one’s contribution; publish widely, fitting the contribution, its style and context from the most prestigious to the more mundane. Michael Hanemann has done all of these and more.A few illustrations:
September 11, 2008
Award-winning paper prescribes how to improve upon Kyoto
Larry Karp, professor of agricultural and resource economics, and Jinhua Zhao, an economist at Iowa State University (and Berkeley ARE Ph.D.) were recently named winners of the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements research paper competition.
As reported in Breakthroughs last year, their paper proposes a design for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
"The successor to the Kyoto Protocol should impose national ceilings on rich countries' greenhouse gas emissions and promote voluntary abatement by developing countries," the authors write. "Our proposal gives signatories the option of exercising an escape clause that relaxes their requirement to abate. This feature helps to solve the participation and compliance problems that have weakened the Protocol. We support the use of carefully circumscribed trade restrictions in order to reduce the real or perceived problem of carbon leakage."
August 21, 2008
The Risks of Outsourcing Climate Action
A policy paper by University of California Berkeley economist David Roland-Holst says that greenhouse gass "offsets," a popular strategy for meeting carbon emissions, should play only a limited role in cap-and-trade programs.
Think Globally, Innovate Locally: Offsets and the Risks of Outsourcing Climate Action.
Continue reading "The Risks of Outsourcing Climate Action" »
August 19, 2008
Senior leadership changes at CNR
Several changes in CNR's senior leadership go into effect with the new semester.
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Buchanan takes over the role as Professor Stephen Welter steps down to focus on his role as Associate Dean for Instruction and Student Affairs. For the last year, Welter has juggled the dual roles, and is looking forward to providing undivided attention to leading the College's instructional and outreach programs.
July 18, 2008
Regents' vote formalizes appointment of J. Keith Gilless as CNR's Dean
The UC Board of Regents has approved the appointment of six new deans for the University of California, Berkeley, following highly competitive searches and the recommendation of UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. The Regents' action on Thursday (July 17) at UC Santa Barbara cleared the appointment of Professor J. Keith Gilless as Dean of the College of Natural Resources.
Gilless has been serving as interim dean since Paul Ludden accepted the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southern Methodist University in 2007.
Gilless joined the faculty in1983 and is professor of Forest Economics and Management jointly in the departments of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Continue reading "Regents' vote formalizes appointment of J. Keith Gilless as CNR's Dean" »
May 27, 2008
Addressing Global Hunger & Poverty through Agricultural Development
Dr. Rajiv Shah, director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, delivers an overview of the Foundation’s programs that addressing global poverty and hunger, and a panel of experts from the College of Natural Resources responds by discussing the challenges and opportunities to improving the lives of smallholder farmers and their families through philanthropy, technology, and policy. With questions from the audience.
April 22, 2008
The Tiger Effect
Want to play golf like Tiger Woods? The trick may be to play against him. A study conducted by Agriculture and Natural Resources Ph.D. candidate Jennifer Brown has shown that golfers may actually play better when pitted against a superstar like Woods. Brown analyzed over twenty thousand golf matches and factored in weather and course conditions to determine that golfers played an average of one stroke better when facing off against Woods.
Global Food Shortages: A Lasting Problem?
Notice a rise in the cost of a loaf of bread at the supermarket? You’re not alone. Overall, retail food prices in the United States have increased 4.4 percent in the last year. Other parts of the world have been harder hit and extreme food shortages have lead to riots and civil unrest.
David Zilberman, professor of Agriculture and Resources Economics at CNR, has been studying food trends for thirty years. He thinks drought, biofuels, transportation costs as well as increased income and demand for food imports in Asia are responsible for the increase in food prices.
Continue reading "Global Food Shortages: A Lasting Problem?" »
March 10, 2008
New analysis shows alarming increase in expected growth of China's carbon dioxide emissions
The growth in China's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is far outpacing previous estimates, making the goal of stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gases even more difficult, according to a new analysis by economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and UC San Diego.
Previous estimates, including those used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, say the region that includes China will see a 2.5 to 5 percent annual increase in CO2 emissions, the largest contributor to atmospheric greenhouse gases, between 2004 and 2010. The new UC analysis puts that annual growth rate for China to at least 11 percent for the same time period.
January 24, 2008
Competing Against Superstars
This week, Slate.com's Joel Waldfogel considers "The Tiger Woods Effect -- How Tiger throws off golf's incentive structure."
Strong competitors are generally thought to bring out the best in everyone, but what if the competition is so strong it makes the top prize feel out of reach? Can strong competition actually undermine a reward structure? A new study by Jennifer Brown of UC Berkeley provides an answer to this question by looking at the world of professional golf, with Tiger Woods playing the role of the strong competitor.
Zubin Jelveh's Odd Numbers blog on Conde Nast Portfolio.com first noted the work on the "(Adverse) Effect of Competing with Superstars."
October 27, 2007
Two CNR Scientists named fellows of AAAS
Two CNR faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Robert L. Fischer, professor of plant and microbial biology, was recognized "for distinguished contributions to the study of epigenetic processes through pioneering work on plant gene imprinting, DNA demethylation and Polycomb group proteins."
Richard B. Norgaard, professor of agricultural and resource economics and of energy and resources, was recognized "for path-breaking contributions to environmental and ecological economics and for improving the scientific content of public and policy discourse on sustainability and the future."
In all, there were 10 fellows from UC Berkeley among the 471 academics honored in 2007 "for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications."
Continue reading "Two CNR Scientists named fellows of AAAS" »
October 23, 2007
ARE Professor Co-Directs World Bank Report
by Sarah Yang, UCB Media Relations
A renewed focus on agricultural development is critical to successfully reducing global poverty and hunger, according to a new World Bank report co-authored by Alain de Janvry, professor of agricultural and resource economics and of public policy.
The report, "World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development," was released today (Friday, Oct. 19), at the World Bank's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
"What we're hoping to do with this report is put agriculture back on the map," said Alain de Janvry, who was also co-director of the report. "The agricultural sector in developing nations has been underfunded for the past two decades. The Millennium Development Goal of cutting poverty and hunger in developing nations by half by 2015 is not going to be achieved unless more attention is paid to where the world's poor are and what they do."
Continue reading "ARE Professor Co-Directs World Bank Report" »
August 20, 2007
Prof. Gordon Rausser will serve as editor of the new Annual Review journal in resource economics
Robert Gordon Sproul Distinguished Professor Gordon Rausser has been selected as editor of The Annual Review of Resource Economics for 2007-2011. The premier Annual Reviews have long focused on science but are now launching three Annual Reviews in economics. The others will be edited by Ken Arrow (General Economics) and Robert Merton (Financial Economics).
The Annual Review of Resource Economics will critically review and evaluate the most significant primary research literature in the key areas of the field: agriculture, environment, renewable resources, and exhaustible resources. Professor David Zilberman will also sit on the publication's editorial committee.
August 2, 2007
ARE Faculty and Alumni Receive Honors
Several CNR faculty and alumni from the department of Agriculture and Resource Economics were honored with awards from the American Agricultural Economics Association at that group's 2007 annual meeting in July.
Professor David Zilberman and his co-editors were given the association’s Quality of Communication Award for their book on the regulation of GMOs, Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology.
Zilberman also received an award for Outstanding Article in the Review of Agricultural Economics for his article "Adoption of Bt Cotton and Impact Variability: Insights from India."
Professor Jeffery LaFrance was named the American Agricultural Economics Association Fellow.
Meridith Fowlie, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Michigan who received her Ph.D. at ARE in 2006, was honored for her Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation, "Firm Behavior in Pollution Permit Markets." (See related working paper.) Professors Jeffrey Perloff and Severin Borenstein were her advisers.
Finally, The Publication of Enduring Quality Award was given to Robert Innes, who earned his ARE Ph.D. in 1986, currently a professor at the University of Arizona.
August 1, 2007
China's Chance to Lead
This op-ed, by Assistant Professor Max Auffhammer and UCSD economist Richard Carson, originally appeared in the Washington Post on August 2, 2007.
China is about to emerge as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, a position the United States has held since 1890. Now is the time for China to take the lead in finding a way to reduce global emissions, which the United States has thus far failed to do. It should start by imposing a sizable tax on the carbon content of its fossil fuel consumption and by heading an effort among other major trading countries to do the same.
May 20, 2007
Commencement address by Dr. Florence Wambugu, CEO, Africa Harvest
Graduation day is a significant and memorable event in one's life time. It marks a transition from one phase of life to another. It is, therefore, an immense privilege for me to be here today, to celebrate with you this significant day for the graduands, faculty, administration and parents.
Congratulations to all of you!
Continue reading "Commencement address by Dr. Florence Wambugu, CEO, Africa Harvest" »
May 17, 2007
J. Keith Gilless named Interim Dean
Professor J. Keith Gilless has been appointed interim dean of the College of Natural Resources effective July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. Gilless joined the faculty in1983 and is professor of Forest Economics and Management jointly in the departments of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He is currently serving as the executive associate dean of the College and will succeed Dean Paul Ludden, who has accepted the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southern Methodist University.
April 9, 2007
Professor David Zilberman and Board Member Jim Lugg Honored with CNR Citation
The College of Natural Resources Citation is CNR’s highest award and was created to honor groups or individuals who have made exceptional contributions to CNR. This year’s recipients are advisory board member Jim Lugg and Professor David Zilberman.
Jim Lugg, president of FreshExpress and an alum of CNR, has been a major supporter of the college. “Jim Lugg is one of the advisory board’s most active members, continuing on the executive committee following his chairmanship, as co-chair of the development committee,” writes nominator Kass Green. “He is always willing to participate in student events and lend his professionalism and expertise to the student experience. His love and enthusiasm for his profession are infectious.”
David Zilberman, professor of agriculture and resource economics, has been affiliated with CNR for the last 34 years dating from when he enrolled in the ARE Ph.D. program. He has served as the director of the Giannini Foudation of Agriculture and Resource Economics and established the Center for Sustainable Resource Development, among other achievements. Professor Anthony Fisher writes of Zilberman: “David has, over the many years of his association with the College, made an extraordinary series of contributions, that are in substantial measure responsible for the quality, the visibility and the reputation of the college today.”
Continue reading "Professor David Zilberman and Board Member Jim Lugg Honored with CNR Citation" »
Assistant Professor Auffhammer Receives CNR Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award
Assistant Professor Max Auffhammer may be a relative newcomer on the Berkeley campus, but he has already made a big difference. Auffhammer, who has taught at Berkeley since 2003, is the recipient of this year’s CNR Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award. He has a joint appointment in the department of Agriculture and Resource Economics and International Area Studies. Auffhammer has developed two new courses as well as a seminar for students completing their dissertation. His students say “Amazing Max is one of the best professors I’ve had at Berkeley; he’s down to earth, accessible, friendly, and funny.”
In addition, Auffhammer has made significant contributions in research. “He has at least seven publications and many other papers under review or in progress. He has received at least ten grants to support his research, and his reputation is increasing yearly,” writes ARE department chair Jeff Perloff. “He is off to a good start on a research career, extremely hard working, an outstanding teacher, a spectacularly cooperative member of the faculty, and generous in his public service.”
Continue reading "Assistant Professor Auffhammer Receives CNR Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award" »
April 6, 2007
Increased production of biofuels might help farmers & address climate change, but it could inflate food prices
From the Associated Press:
Increased production of biofuels such as ethanol might help farmers' bottom lines and address climate-change concerns, but it could inflate food prices worldwide, warns a former White House economist.
"Worldwide, especially in developing countries ... food price increases are definitely something we're going to have to come to grips with," said David Sunding, who served on former President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers.
Sunding, an [agricultural resources and economics] professor at the University of California, Berkeley, spoke on March 26 to water experts at a conference at the University of Nebraska.
The combination of rising energy prices and the demand for corn, which is used to produce ethanol, will continue to drive up commodity prices, he said.
Corn prices have already begun to soar. A rush to turn more land into corn production could decrease supplies of other commodities, driving up prices of them as well.
The resulting higher market prices could then dampen the public's support for government subsidies that are designed to help farmers reap profits when markets are down.
Sunding envisioned a scenario in which price supports for farmers are replaced by another government program — one to purchase food to keep prices affordable and prevent hunger.
Energy costs will also be a factor, said Sunding, who predicted that "ag policy will ... become energy policy."
"The ag sector," he added, "is so vulnerable to energy price changes."
Higher fuel costs affect farm operations that depend on irrigation and make it more expensive for farmers to transport their crops.
A study released last month by the Energy Information Administration, an arm of the federal government that provides energy statistics, forecasts that world oil prices might decrease over the next five or six years, then steadily increase over the next two decades.
March 14, 2007
Does Early Daylight Savings Really Save Energy?
Thanks to Congress, the U.S. "sprang forward" three weeks early this year, and daylight savings time will last one week longer in the fall. The idea behind the switch is energy conservation.
But as reported here in January, two ARE researchers, doctoral students Ryan Kellogg and Hendrik Wolff, found that a similar switch in Australia didn't meet the mark. Now that the the bleary-eyed mornings and brighter evenings are upon us, their work is getting a lot more attention:
Daylight Savings Might Not Save Energy (Video - ABC News)
Does daylight-saving time really save energy? (ScienceBlogs)
Daylight Savings Time: Energy Dud? (Discovery Channel News)
Economists find no difference in electricity usage when Australia moved time change back (Contra Costa Times)
February 22, 2007
Auffhammer's "Brown Cloud" study named "Paper of the Year" by PNAS
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has awarded the Cozzarelli Prize to ARE assistant professor Max Auffhammer and his co-authors for their 2006 paper showing that reductions of human-generated 
air pollution could create unexpected agricultural benefits in one of the world's poorest regions.
Auffhammer, along with co-authors from UC San Diego, analyzed historical data on Indian rice harvests and found that harvests would have been 20 to 25 percent higher during some years in the 1990s if certain negative climate impacts had not occurred.
Just six papers, out of the 3,300 research articles published in PNAS in 2006, were chosen for the Cozzarelli prize.
The award, originally named the "Paper of the Year Prize," recognizes recently published PNAS articles of scientific excellence and originality. The lab motto of Nick Cozzarelli, the late Editor-in-Chief, was "Blast ahead," as he encouraged researchers to push the envelope of discovery. In his honor, this year the award was renamed the Cozzarelli Prize.
Integrated model shows that atmospheric brown clouds and greenhouse gases have reduced rice harvests in India by Maximilian Auffhammer, V. Ramanathan, and Jeffrey R. Vincent.
January 19, 2007
Relying on Berkeley research, California establishes groundbreaking carbon standard for fuels
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued an executive order calling for California to establish the world's first carbon standard for transportation fuels. (Read about it in the Governor's op-ed here.)
Relying on research by David Roland-Holst, adjunct professor in ARE, the governor writes:
The University of California estimates our greenhouse gas emissions goals will increase our gross state product by $60 billion and create more than 20,000 new jobs. The time is now for America to transition to a clean-energy economy.... I am very pleased to be able to announce that California is leading the way.
More information on Roland-Holst's study is at http://calclimate.berkeley.edu/.
January 17, 2007
Across the board, CNR doctoral programs ranked among the top
The faculty of each of CNR's departments have been ranked among the top 5 in their fields, according to a new "Scholarly Productivity Index," with the Plant Biology program ranked #1 in the nation.
The rankings, assessed by the private company Academic Analytics, are based on measurements of faculty productivity in terms of publications, federal-grant dollars awarded, and honors and awards.
Data from the 2005 rankings -- which are not without their share of controversy -- were published and explained in depth in The Chronicle of Higher Education (available by subscription here).
UC Berkeley doctoral programs from within CNR received impressive rankings:
Agricultural economics - 3
Botany and plant biology - 1
Microbiology - 3
Nutrition - 3
Toxicology - 2
Environmental Science - 4
A full list of UC Berkeley rankings is here.
January 11, 2007
Springing forward may not help save energy
Springing forward may not help save energy, according to a study by two graduate students in Agricultural and Resource Economics.
From Bloomberg:
U.S. plans to cut electricity usage by lengthening daylight saving time may backfire, the report said. Lengthening daylight saving time by several weeks was included in energy legislation passed in 2005, with the goal of saving energy equivalent to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.Extending daylight saving time may actually result in increased electricity demand as additional usage during morning hours cancels out the reduced demand in the evening, according to the Berkeley study. The paper analyzed electricity usage in Australia, which lengthened its daylight saving time by two months while hosting the 2000 Olympics.
``There is no evidence that extending daylight saving time will lead to energy savings,'' said Hendrik Wolff, one of the study's authors, in an interview. ``Actually, there is evidence that it may lead to a little higher energy consumption.''
Illicit "market for trust" on eBay
Some eBay users are artificially boosting their reputations by buying and selling feedback on the Internet auction site, according to John Morgan, a professor at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, and Jennifer Brown, a doctoral student in Agricultural and Resource Economics.
January 3, 2007
Bringing carbon buyers and sellers to market
This editorial by Professor David Sunding appeared Dec. 28, 2006, in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order to begin implementation of a market-based compliance program encouraging businesses to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is clearly a step in the right direction toward cleaning our air of harmful carbon particulates. The next step is to make it financially attractive enough for businesses to comply with the program.
Continue reading "Bringing carbon buyers and sellers to market" »
December 5, 2006
Reducing pollution could increase rice harvests in India
Reductions of human-generated air pollution could create unexpected agricultural benefits in one of the world's poorest regions, according to new research by Maximilian Auffhammer, assistant professor of agricultural resources and economics, and his collaborators.
Continue reading "Reducing pollution could increase rice harvests in India" »
December 2, 2006
Undergrad Matt Stuckey uses DNA to understand butterfly evolution in the Sierra
Matthew Stuckey, fourth year in Environmental Economics and Policy and Conservation Resource Studies, is researching how the butterfly Colias behrii colonized the Sierra Nevada.
Through mentorship with Professor George Roderick and graduate student Sean Schoville, Stuckey has been working on cloning nuclear genes to assess genetic variation within and among populations of C. behrii.
Roderick’s team is using genetics to understand how organisms have colonized new areas. SPUR funds have helped provide chemicals and lab supplies necessary for molecular cloning – a technique essential for Stukey’s research.
The SPUR program also benefits the mentors who work closely with undergraduates on their research. For Schoville, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, having Stuckey's help has been a huge benefit. “These undergraduates are some of the brightest students,” he says. “Working with them gives me a great opportunity to see their minds grow and mature.”
November 30, 2006
Tours begin of eco-friendly "green apartment"
Four Cal students living in a new "Green Apartment" demonstrate sustainable living. The apartment is the latest addition to an expanding effort by the Green Room Committee to educate the campus community about recycling, water and energy conservation and about purchasing decisions.
The apartment in the Channing-Bowditch student housing complex is the latest addition to an expanding UC Berkeley effort by the Green Room Committee to educate the campus community about recycling, water and energy conservation and about purchasing decisions.
"We wanted to give the room a holistic concept, connecting the dots between the things students learn in the classroom and the choices they make in their everyday lives, said Desirae Early, a junior majoring in environmental economics and policy, a Green Campus Program coordinator and a Green Room Committee member.
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"We wanted to give the room a holistic concept, connecting the dots between the things students learn in the classroom and the choices they make in their everyday lives, said Desirae Early, a junior majoring in environmental economics and policy, a Green Campus Program coordinator and a Green Room Committee member.
Continue reading "Tours begin of eco-friendly "green apartment"" »
August 21, 2006
Not facing warming is costly
From a letter to the Sacramento Bee by Prof. Michael Hanemann:
I disagree with Margo Thorning's dire prediction of economic doom from the Assembly Bill 32 legislation requiring statewide reductions in greenhouse gases by 2020.
August 17, 2006
Report: Climate action will boost state economy
A new report delivered to state legislators and led by ARE Professor David Roland-Host says that returning California greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, as envisioned by pending global warming legislation, could significantly stimulate the state economy.
Continue reading "Report: Climate action will boost state economy" »
November 14, 2005
In Memoriam: Professor Jenny Lanjouw
Jean O. Lanjouw, associate professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, died of cancer on Nov. 1, within just a few months of learning of her diagnosis. She died in Washington, D.C., where she shared a home with her husband and two children. She was 43.
September 30, 2005
Networking 101: Students mix with alumni in environmental fields
Networking events can really help students with their career choices, and those who attended the Environmental Alumni & Students Mixer on Sept. 30 certainly got their share of information and resources.
Over 50 students were introduced to environmental professionals who are making a difference and who were willing to answer career questions and provide support and encouragement.
Sponsored jointly by the Career Center, College of Natural Resources Student Affairs, and the Berkeley Environmental Alumni Network (BEAN), this event could inspire a new Homecoming tradition in CNR!
September 17, 2005
CNR Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the Construction of Giannini Hall
On September 16, 2005, the College of Natural Resources celebrated Amadeo Peter Giannini's foresight and his generosity to the University of California and to agriculture in California and throughout the world.
The Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics was established in 1928 through the gift of $1.5 million dollars from Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of the Bank of America. One third of the gift was designated to construct Giannini Hall and the remaining two thirds was used to establish the Giannini Foundation, which supports the Giannini Libraries and research on agricultural economics at the University of California.
Continue reading "CNR Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the Construction of Giannini Hall" »
September 5, 2005
Jobs & Internships
Institute for International Public Policy: Sophomores
California Wilderness Coalition Policy Intern
Institute for International Public Policy (open to underrepresented minority)
The IIPP Fellowship program provides students with specially designed education and training experiences critical to entry and advancement in international affairs careers. Students are recruited from across the nation and apply as sophomores to participate in a multi-year sequence of summer policy institutes, study abroad, intensive language training, internships, and graduate study, complemented by career development services along the way. UNCFSP is aided in the student recruitment effort by its institutional partners and distinguished selection panels comprised of practitioners, academics, graduate school admissions directors, foundation executives, and IIPP alumni.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: Sophomore student, enrolled full-time at four-year (baccalaureate) institution; U.S. citizen or permanent resident (documentary support required)
Minimum 3.2 grade point average (on 4.0-scale) Strong interest in international affairs
CALIFORNIA WILDERNESS COALITION
Job Announcement
JOB TITLE: Policy Intern
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND:
The California Wilderness Coalition (CWC) protects the landscapes that make California unique, providing clean air and water, a home to wildlife, and a place for spiritual renewal. Since 1976, CWC has been the only statewide organization in California dedicated to protecting California's last remaining wild places. We currently have field offices in Eureka, Riverside, and Redding. Our central office is in Oakland.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
CWC seeks an energetic and enthusiastic individual to work as a Policy Intern. CWC's conservation program includes: advocacy for wilderness on public lands, fighting against irresponsible development proposals in wild lands, and building a stronger constituency for conservation throughout the state. The responsibilities for the Policy Intern include: providing assistance to CWC's policy staff and Executive Director in research, drafting materials, and organizing.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidates should be committed environmentalists with superior public speaking and writing skills. The ability to work independently and a keen political sense are essential.
The position is part-time 5 to 10 hours a week with a $200 a month stipend during the school year.
HOW TO APPLY:
For more information on the CWC, go to www.calwild.org.
Send resume and cover letter to:
Meredith Eilers, Office Manager
Email: meilers@calwild.org
August 22, 2005
Cal Still No. 1 National Public University
by Michelle Maitre
Magazine ranks Berkeley top public university, 20th among all colleges in country
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY has again ranked as the nation's best public university in U.S. News and World Report's annual list of top colleges.
The magazine's "America's Best Colleges" rankings, released today, are based on a formula that includes graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, peer review and other factors. UC Berkeley has held the top public spot for several years, occasionally tying with the University of Virginia.
While UC Berkeley is the top-rated public university, the campus ties with Emory University in Georgia for 20th overall on a list that compares both private and public universities....
The rankings will be published in Monday's edition of the magazine. The list will be available online today at U.S.News....
Full Story at Inside Bay Area.
August 1, 2005
UC gives tips for coping with heat stress
by Pam Kan-Rice
The heat-related death of a man harvesting peppers in Kern County last month is a tragic reminder of the dangers of heat stress.
To help reduce dangers of becoming overheated, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist has produced a heat-stress information card for farmworkers that explains in English and Spanish how heat-related illnesses develop and how to avoid them.
Download a fold-up heat stress information card in English and Spanish (PDF)
More references about heat stress are available here.
Although the advice is directed at farmworkers, it is useful to anyone who works in the heat.
UC Berkeley-based agricultural personnel management specialist Howard Rosenberg warns that excess heat can impair the body even before a person feels ill. Symptoms of heat stress may include general discomfort, loss of coordination and stamina, weakness, poor concentration, irritability, muscle pain and cramping, fatigue, blurry vision, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and unconsciousness (see "Heat illness symptoms and first aid" sidebar).
Although some of the heat that people have to deal with at work comes from the sun and ambient air, most heat is generated by their own bodies, Rosenberg says. "At rest the body produces little heat, but at work it demands more energy and faster metabolism, which greatly increases internal heat production," he explains.
To cool itself, the body first increases blood flow toward the body surface. This reduces the flow available to carry oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, brain and other internal organs, which in turn impairs strength, diminishes alertness and accelerates fatigue.
"When this mechanism doesn't release heat fast enough, sweat glands kick in," says Rosenberg. "They draw water from the bloodstream to form sweat that carries heat across outer layers of the skin and then evaporates." The loss of water through sweating impairs the body's ability to cool itself later, and the loss of electrolytes in sweat can cause muscle cramps.
The longer sweating goes on, the less blood volume remains and the greater the health risk. Rosenberg gives this cautionary example: a 150-pound man working moderately in warm weather would lose about 3/4 quart of water -- or 1 percent of his body weight -- per hour. At that rate, without replacing the lost fluid, he would likely experience diminished energy and endurance after three hours, serious fatigue and nausea after six hours, and loss of consciousness after eight hours (see "How heat affects the body" sidebar).
He recommends drinking water even before being prompted by thirst because thirst is a late signal of a water deficit. "Chugging to quench an intense thirst is like pouring water on a wilted plant," Rosenberg says.
For farm operations, Rosenberg recommends that managers and foremen try to keep drinking water containers as close as possible to centers of activity. If the water is too far away, such as at the end of a long row, workers may not want to take time away from their tasks or exert the extra effort to get to it.
Rosenberg also recommends bringing "a little heat-stress physiology 101 to the field" -- helping workers understand the causes of heat stress, their own bodies' heat release mechanisms, and the critical importance of replenishing the fluid they lose as sweat. "We hope the new card enables more growers to effectively deliver information that their employees need to know."
If workers begin experiencing heat stress symptoms, Rosenberg advises having them rest, preferably in a cooler area, and drink plenty of water or electrolyte fluids. In case of heat stroke, immediate medical attention should be sought.
AB 805, a bill pending in the California Legislature, would add specific heat-illness prevention and response requirements to employers' existing obligations for workplace safety. This month, after more than three inactive years, a Cal/OSHA advisory committee resumed its consideration of a new industrial regulation that would help prevent heat illness and injury in the workplace.
The card is being produced in cooperation with California Farm Bureau Federation, California Grape and Tree Fruit League, and California Association of Winegrape Growers, with additional USDA support through its Western Center for Risk Management Education.
To order free copies of the bilingual heat-stress education cards for farmworkers, contact Elisa Noble at enoble@cfbf.com or (916) 561-5598.
Student Resource Center gets new computers
The College of Natural Resources’ Student Resource Center located in 260 Mulford recently acquired ten new computers, replacing older computers that did not meet University security standards.
The new computers not only meet security standards, but also provide faster and more powerful computing.
The computers were purchased with funds from the Berkeley Fund for Natural Resources, which is generously supported by hundreds of alumni and friends of the College.
Over the years the Student Resource Center has grown as an education portal for CNR students. With the new computers, students have improved tools to help with homework and group projects.
July 5, 2005
ARE Update Quarterly July/August 2005
The latest ARE Update Quarterly Newsletter is now available.
Contents include:
1. "Diamond Walnut Growers."
2. "Industry Initiated Regulation and Food Safety: the New Federal Marketing Order for Pistachios."
3. "The Relationship Between Price Risk Management Tools and Off-Farm Income."
It can be downloaded at http://www.agecon.ucdavis.edu/uploads/update_issues/v8n6.pdf.
June 7, 2005
Recent Awards
In case you missed May's CNR Awards Ceremony, you should know the college honored two friends with the CNR citation, and also recognized several staff and faculty.
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Congratulations to Beth Boyer, Justin Brashares and Per Palsboll, all of whom recently received Junior Faculty Research Grants from the Committee on Research.
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Andy Jackson received the Ruth Allen Award from the American Phytopathological Society for "outstanding, innovative research contributions."
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Bob Buchanan was honored with the Stephen Hales Prize, the highest award of the American Society of Plant Biologists; he also recently received the highest award bestowed by his alma mater, Emory and Henry College.
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Kris Niyogi received the Charles Albert Shull Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists.
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Don Kaplan received the Charles Edwin Bessey Award from the Botanical Society of America for "outstanding contributions made to Botanical instruction and leadership." The award is a capstone to Don's illustrious career. Among other honors, he is a recipient of the Berkeley Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award.
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This website, ucbiotech.org, created by CE Specialist Peggy Lemaux and postdoctoral scholar Petra Frey, and maintained by Barbara Alonso and Steve Ruzin, won the National Award for a Website from the 2005 Bayer Advanced National Association of County Agricultural Agents Communication Awards Program.
June 2, 2005
CWH now jointly administered by CNR and SPH
A recent celebration announced the partnership between the School of Public Health and the College of Natural Resources as co-directors over the Center for Weight and Health.
On Thursday, June 2, CNR Dean Paul Ludden and Stephen Shortell, dean of the School of Public Health, announced a new partnership between the schools to jointly administer UC Berkeley's Center for Weight and Health.
The Center for Weight and Health co-sponsors the largest nationwide conference on childhood obesity, the California Childhood Obesity Conference, and provides the most comprehensive resource on the subject though its extensive research.
"It makes perfect sense to bring our two organizations closer together through the Center for Weight and Health, since we are both striving to address a crucial public health issue at a time when rising obesity rates have reached a crisis level," said Shortell.
"The formalization this partnership will provide additional opportunities for collaborative research, fundraising, and outreach to address the state's epidemic of obesity," said Ludden.
The deans jointly announced the center's new co-directors, Dr. Pat Crawford, CNR, and Dr. May-Choo W. Wang, SPH.
May 23, 2005
Conference: California Forest Futures 2005
Forests provide a wealth of public benefits - water, wildlife, wilderness, wood and a well-balanced climate. Yet, many in our state are unaware of how greatly we depend on forest goods and services. Even more are unaware of the dangers facing California's forests today. Losing more and more forests to development is a crisis of historic proportions we must work together to solve.
California Forest Futures 2005 is a two-day conference that will examine the forces dramatically re-shaping our forest landscapes and explore the strategies and actions necessary to secure an economic and ecologically rewarding future.
Topics include:
* making California's forest industry more competitive in a global market while simultaneously protecting forests
* adapting “smart growth” principles to lessen the impact of rural development
* developing new, ecological-based revenue streams from carbon sequestration, water flows and habitat
* expanding the use of working conservation easements to preserve the private forest infrastructure
* implementing financial, regulatory and other incentives to promote conservation
Join elected officials, policy makers, forest owners, foresters, land use planners, environmental and conservation professionals, activists, attorneys, media and other concerned citizens as we come together to consider the critical choices facing the future of California's vital forestlands.
Honorary Chair: Mike Chrisman, California Secretary for Resource
Don't miss the most important forest conference in our state's history.
For more information or to register, visit California Forest Futures 2005
May 22, 2005
Fall 2005 Commencement Address by Chief Oren Lyons
On May 22, Chief Oren Lyons delivered the following commencement address to CNR's class of 2005.
Introduction by Executive Associate Dean Barbara Allen-Diaz
Commencement address by Chief Oren Lyons
INTRODUCTION by Executive Associate Dean Barbara Allen-Diaz
It is a great pleasure for me to introduce Oren Lyons, our Commencement Speaker today. Oren Lyons is Faithkeeper and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Chief Lyons is Professor of American Studies at State University of New York at Buffalo.
We are honored today to have the opportunity to hear Chief Lyons speak. He was raised in the traditional lifeways of the Iroquois on the Seneca and Onondaga reservations in northern New York State. He served in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Syracuse University of Fine Arts where he immediately began a long career in commercial art and became a well known American Indian artist.
Since returning to the Onondaga in 1970, Professor Lyons has been a leading advocate for American Indian causes, both nationally and internationally. He has participated in meetings of indigenous peoples held in Geneva under the auspices of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations; he serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Forums of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival; and he is a principal leader in the traditional Circle of Indian Elders which is a council of grassroots leadership of major Indian Nations of North America.
Chief Lyons has spoken widely about spirituality, environment, natural laws, human rights and the ethics of authority. He has received numerous honors and awards, including an honorary doctor of law from Syracuse University.
In addition, Chief Lyons has been a lifelong Lacrosse player, a game that was invented by the Iroquois people. He was All-American in Lacrosse and inducted into the Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 1993.
Oren Lyons perhaps has set the stage best of all for all of you graduating here today when he said, "When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them."
Please join me in welcoming Oren Lyons, professor and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation.
ADDRESS by Chief Oren Lyons
(Chief Lyons greeted the audience in his native language.)
I said thank you for being well. That’s our greeting. I am Onondaga, I am from the Haudenosaunee, called the Iroquois and I am also of the Family of the Wolf. And so I greet you. In my initial greetings, it is our protocol to extend our first greetings and respect to the original peoples of this land here: Pomos, Yuroks, and Chumash and others. They are the original landholders of where we stand and it is our protocol first to greet them and to honor them.
And my second greeting is to the Graduation Class of 2005, at this great university in the College of Natural Resources. My greetings to you and what you represent. You are like my grandchildren. (When you get to be my age, everybody is your grandchild.) So I greet you.
Then my next greetings are to the Chancellor of this University and to the Dean who has done so well, and to the faculty and staff and all of the visiting colleagues, and to these professors that work so hard for this particular day. This is our day as well as yours. It’s an accomplishment. You are like our children. We want to see you off. To all of my colleagues who are here, I extend my greetings to all of you and to your work. What is our work? Our work is instruction, our work is education, inclusively, large, inspired. And our work is to keep education a passion, as was mentioned by one of the student speakers. Passion, of course, is important and we don’t want to stifle that.
When the Haudesonauee meet, whether it is a large gathering or a small gathering, we have several greetings. I think it is apropos that I tell you what these greetings are. It begins with the people. When we meet, and these are called The Words Before All Words, we give these greetings. We say to all the people gathered, “We are grateful and happy to see you healthy and gathered here.” We also think about all of the people who are not here, who cannot be here for whatever reason, and then we think about the peoples of the world as they go about their business. And we think how wonderful this is. So we put our minds together as one, and we give a big thanksgiving for all the peoples of the world.
Then we look at Mother Earth and we say this is our mother and we give a big thanksgiving for our mother, with all our love, because that is what mothers gather: great love. And we look at Mother Earth and we think of how she supports us, helps us survive and keeps all life going. How wonderful, powerful, all enduring is our Mother the Earth and we give a thanksgiving for the earth itself.
And then we move to everything that grows on the earth, from the grasses to the medicines to the bushes. We think of all of this and what they do for the earth and how they support us. And we put our mind around the world and we try to see all of these places and we give a thanksgiving for all of the growing things of the earth.
Then we move to the trees, our grandfathers. I was so pleased that we came under the shade and shelter of these powerful elders that surround us here. These are our relations. Look how you gather in their shade, how you keep cool. Look how clean the air is and look about. These trees are listening. They hear what we have to say when we have a thanksgiving. They are listening. So we give a big thanksgiving for all of the trees of the world. We acknowledge their work and we acknowledge their leader which is the maple, the great chief of the trees.
Then we move on to everything that moves about and runs about in the forest with four legs. And we think about them and how they sustain us and how they are related to us and how we depend upon them, and how they have supported our life for so long and provided our identities. (I am a wolf.) We give thanksgiving for all of these 4-footed creatures for they sustain us and we are dependent.
And then we move to what lives in the trees and flies above—all of the birds. How powerful they are! How the song of a wren can lift our hearts when we’re down. They wake us in the morning, they plant seeds, they sing to us, they move about. They are messengers. And the leader, the great eagle, flies closest to the Creator and carries our word. We revere his feathers, we revere the hawks, we revere the hummingbird. These are our relatives and we give a big thanksgiving for them.
And then we move on to the waters of the earth, from the very beautiful springs to the seas. Anybody that has seen a spring and looked at that crystal-clear water and can see everything on the bottom knows it’s beautiful and pure. And that’s the way we want your minds to be, as pure as those crystal springs. Do not pollute your minds! Do not throw dirt into that spring. That’s your mind. Keep it clean. Keep it pure so that you can see. From those springs, we go on to thank the streams, the rivers, the lakes and the mighty oceans themselves, these great waters. The first law of life is water. We are water. We are born in water, we are water. Without it, there is no life. So we give a big thanksgiving as we put our minds together for all of the waters of the earth.
And then we move on to the thundering voices that bring the rain and water the earth and water the people and water the plants and keep us alive--great powers and great authority and great strength. They speak. And in the springtime when we hear the first thundering voice, our people immediately move out and we give a prayer to the grandfathers who are returning and promising again to water us for another year, these seasons, the thundering voices that water the earth and replenish the springs. We give a big thanksgiving.
And then we talk about the winds—the four winds. There is a breeze here, it is very slight but it’s the wind and you can feel it. These winds are very powerful. We have been warned that at times, they are so powerful that they will blow the very dirt off the face of the earth and we do not want to see that. But we have been warned that they have this power. If they choose to come down, that’s what will happen. And so we thank the winds for planting all the seeds, carrying the seeds about, giving us the seasons. We put our minds together as one and give a big thanksgiving to our grandfathers.
And we thank the crops that feed us--what we live on. We call the corns, the beans and the squash the 3 Sisters that Mother Earth has given to us and without which we will not survive. Just think of all of the foods of this earth that you survive on and protect and keep pure. You are going to face some very ethical questions about that purity and it is best that you have a good foundation of where you stand. Remember the spring, remember the purity. So to all of the foods of the earth we give thanksgiving for they sustain us.
And then we move on to our elder brother, the Sun, who is here right now, who brings the warmth to the earth, who works with Mother Earth for life, brings us the light that we may see and is ever, ever dutiful and ever here. No matter what, no smaller how small we as are as human beings, we can depend on the sun to rise in the east in the morning. With a great love and respect, we give a great thanksgiving to our eldest brother the Sun.
Then we move to our grandmother, the Moon, who works with the female, who sets the standards for seasons, who raises the levels of the oceans. She has great power and the cycles of life that she produces, together with all of the females of the earth, are a very powerful force. She is a great wonderful grandmother. And so we give a big thanksgiving to our grandmother, the Moon.
And then we move to the stars. These are great well-springs of knowledge that some of our people know and that most of us have forgotten. We know they are brilliant and we still follow them through the night. They still will lead us and they have great knowledge. There are nations on this earth that know much about these stars, yet, in our nation, we have forgotten much more than we know now. Still, the stars are brilliant and they bring the dew in the morning, they water the earth. For the brilliance of the night sky and the stars, we give a big thanksgiving.
Then we move on to the spiritual beings who look after us. There are four of them and it is their duty to watch over all life here. They are having a hard time, working very hard at this point because there is so much life now, especially human beings. But there they are and they are consistent and they are constant, and so we give a big thanksgiving to these spiritual beings that look after us.
And then, to our messenger who came to us 200 years ago with a message of survival for the Haudenosaunee that has helped us to remain and be who we are today. He told us many things told to him by these spiritual beings who took him on this journey. This messenger, who was a Seneca chief, brought these prophesies for our survival and they are coming one by one. Some have happened and some are about to. So we give a big thanksgiving to our messenger.
And finally, to the giver of life, the holder of the heavens, all life, we give our last and most grateful and largest thanksgiving. This is who we depend upon, and who we work with and work for. It’s the nature of the chiefs of the Confederacy to work with these elements for the betterment of the future as we were told, the seventh generation, and so we give thanks to the giver of all life.
And now we have completed our initial mission. As you can see, it took time. However, is that not what we are about today? Is that not what we are talking about? What kind of message is important? We are instructed that every time we hear this opening message, it places us in proper perspective in making decisions of the day. We are not superior, we have great responsibility because of our intellect but we have responsibility as human beings. And here we are, so saying that, I have completed my duties to my people and to the natural world and to our grandfathers here and we can go on.
Now then, what are the issues? It’s interesting to me, that on my flight here the other day, I was carrying the New York Times to see what’s going on in the world. I found what I thought would interest you because it’s apropos, I think. It’s a full-page ad about a car, and it says: “More Horses, Bigger Engine, Increased Envy.” Do you know what it costs to buy a full-page ad in the New York Times? Who are they talking to? They are talking to you, they are talking to us. They are selling envy. Now I don’t think we can even talk about ethics in that direction, can we? However, that is the primary focus of today’s life in America, especially in America.
Juxtaposed on the other side of the page was a little article. It says, “Warming is blamed for Antarctica’s weight gain.” Now, that caught my attention because I watch the environment and any change like this, which is systemic and huge, (you want to talk big, that’s big!), bigger than the engine, bigger than the horses. The article said that they are gaining weight down there in Antarctica as opposed to all of the melting that’s going on. It corresponds to a gain of 45 billion tons of water a year—that’s the kind of weight change that’s going on in the Antarctica. If I were you, I’d pay attention to that because that’s the natural world talking now, that’s the natural law.
You know, early on, in this country, Jefferson and Madison and Washington and all of those founding fathers, talked about natural law all the time. If you go back and read their statements, you will find that they are always talking about natural law which you never hear about today from the current administration or past administrations. We’ve long moved away from that discussion, but the law prevails and that’s my message. The law prevails and we are bound by flesh, bone and blood to that law. We are not superior to it. We are subservient to it and we are beholden to it. So it is best we learn that natural law if we want to survive because therein lies the ultimate authority. There is no tribunal in this world that can issue to any of us an edict that would allow us not to drink water and survive—none. We need water for life. That’s another law, that’s a superior law and best you learn it. What are we doing to water today?
A good friend, Lester Brown, made an observation. I’m sure you know a lot about him since you are working in this area. I use his productions all the time because he’s so good at it and he has such a great amount of staff to keep up. Every year he updates his positions and tells me what’s going on. He said that in 1950, 55 years ago, there were 2.5 billion people in the world and it took 4 million years for that 2.5 billion people to grow to that extent. In 2000, there were over 6 billion people in the world—in 55 years, we almost tripled the number of human beings on this planet. That is not sustainable. That is not going to fly, not with Mother Earth, not with natural law. You want to remember that we are bound to natural law.
Let’s talk about production. He made this observation. He said that in the year 2000, production in that one year equaled the total production of 100 years previous. That’s not sustainable.
You want to talk about sustainability? Let’s talk about common sense then. That’s the struggle that my colleagues have. How do we illustrate that to you? How do we keep that integrity? It’s hard for us. It’s hard for universities and education not to become just big business. All of your parents out there have worked so hard and had the faith and support and love on you, spent all of their money (and it’s very expensive) to educate you.
We have to think now about what are we going to do. We have got to bring some common sense to the economic situation of this earth or we are not going to survive. We are just going to push the carrying capacity of this earth beyond what it holds and we are already beyond that now. So how do we come to the common sense part of it and how do we get back to the relationships that I talked about?
Now that we know about DNA, you understand that we are only just a few genes apart from the flower. You know that. The DNA of grass and the trees are almost the same as humans. Well we knew that! We knew that long ago. That’s why we said they are our relations, all our relations. What you call resources, we call our relatives. If you can think in terms of relationships, your relatives, you are going to treat them better, aren’t you? So you have got to get back to the relationship because that is your foundation for survival. It’s not going to be human intellect, let me tell you. That’s not big enough, not fast enough, not quick enough.
You are going to have to have some spiritual guidance here, some real grounding and get back to the Elders’ wisdom, so long ago and everywhere. It’s still there, the trees are here. The fight is on. I’m with you. I’m with you all the way. It’s going to take your energy, your intellect, your passion, your compassion. Probably the most important feeling that a human being can have is compassion and love for the future and the people who are not here yet.
As we said, looking up from the faces of this earth, layer upon layer, generations upon generations, looking up. Each generation is coming and each is going to have their time, hopefully, but that is our determination and that’s your responsibility. We’re still here, we are going to help you, we are going to guide you. Here are your leaders, people who have worked hard for you, and you, the people, have the biggest responsibility.
When we raise chiefs in our Confederation, we are instructed on the duties of the chiefs, the clan mothers, and the faithkeepers, and the longest instruction is to the people themselves because you have the most responsibility. It’s not up to the leaders to make your life, it’s up to you, the people—the mothers and the fathers and the grandfathers. If you are interested in these people’s welfare, then you are going to have to speak up and speak up soon. Don’t be afraid because it’s your future, their future you are looking out for. Don’t look to your chiefs to be leading, they will guide you but you have got to do the work. You have to do the heavy lifting. You, the men without titles, you, the women without titles, are the backbone of the nation. That’s your work. The grandfathers and the grandmothers look after the future generations. That’s our instruction and I pass that on to you because I think it is practical and it is quite necessary at this time that we challenge the direction of the leadership of this world now for the salvation of the future.
Go back to the wisdom of the Elders. Listen to the earth. Listen to the trees, they cry, they speak. But the ultimate natural law has no mercy. You will just deal with it as it will deal with you. So the best thing to do is stay on the good side, learn, stay with it. Be brave, be courageous. Be who you are. Be your own leader. You don’t need somebody telling you what to do. You think for yourself. Otherwise how are we going to gain if we don’t have this great wealth of intelligence? Challenge them every time. Every generation has its heroes, every generation has its leaders, and every generation has its responsibility and this is a big one now!
I am carrying on here because I am concerned about you. You are like my children, my grandchildren. I want you to be strong. I want you to be happy. I want you to have good children. I want you to be dedicated. It’s not naïve to have principles. It’s not naïve to be idealistic, not at all. It takes courage, so stay with it. You go forward today and do good for the world and do good for the people.
Thank you.
May 5, 2005
CNR Awards Ceremony and Reception
May 5th, 3:00-5:00
Alumni House (Bechtel and Toll rooms)
Come honor and celebrate the recipients of this year's CNR Citation, CNR Young Faculty & CE Specialist Award, and the CNR Staff Recognition Award. Nominations are in, and winners will be announced soon!
Please RSVP by April 29th to Matt Fratus or (510) 643-1041.
College Honors Two with CNR Citation
This month, the college honored two individuals for their extraordinary commitment and accomplishments in 2005. The CNR Citation, the highest honor of the college, was awarded for the first time to two deserving recipients, Iona "Rocky" Main and Helen Ullrich.
Rocky Main and her family were instrumental in creating and endowing the William Main Distinguished Visitor Program, an academic program that has made, and continues to make, significant contributions to the study of forest and natural resources management. Main has made her impact elsewhere on campus, as well. She has served as a trustee of the University Library, a leader of her alumni class, and a benefactor of the popular "Lunch Poems" series.
Many of her nominators stressed Main's personal supportiveness of faculty and recognized that, as one supporter put it, she "has sustained a grace and civility that helps us to appreciate the very best in our institution."
Helen Ullrich, a pioneer in expanding dietetics beyond medical nutrition therapy to include health promotion and disease prevention, co-founded and served as executive director of the Society for Nutrition Education from 1967 to 1983, and was instrumental in the establishment of the California Nutrition Council. (The council presented her with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its 2005 Childhood Obesity Conference.)
After her many years as a Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist, Helen remains deeply involved at CNR, where she has served on the Center for Weight and Health advisory board for five years.
"We know that we are better people because of Helen Denning Ullrich," wrote her nominators, "and that the world is a better place because of her."
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