Events

Once the domain of scrappy entrepreneurs and tree-hugging idealists, wind power is now firmly planted in mainstream America.  Nine states today get 10 percent or more of their electricity from wind, and dozens of other states are quickly growing their reliance on this clean-energy resource.  Philip Warburg, veteran environmental advocate and author of Harvest the Wind, will look at the benefits that wind farms are bringing to legacy cities and cash-strapped rural communities.  He will also describe some of the knotty environmental issues that threaten to stall the industry’s growth.  His observations will draw extensively on his travels across America and his interviews with stakeholders including farmers, ranchers, biologists, community activists, and high-tech pioneers.  

Biographical statement:

 Philip Warburg is a seasoned environmental lawyer with roots going back to the 1970s.  He was president of the Conservation Law Foundation, New England’s leading environmental advocacy group, from 2003 to 2009.  Previously he directed the Israel Union for Environmental Defense in Tel Aviv and was an attorney at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, DC.  He has worked with governments and citizen groups on environmental initiatives in several Middle East nations and across Eastern Europe.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.  Further information can be found at http://philipwarburg.com.