The blueness of our planet does not tell the whole story. It only begins to hint at the interconnectedness of water: its reach from the deepest ocean trench to the highest snow-capped mountain peak, the fresh water we ingest and inhale, the living water that produces food and provides substance for the molecular structure of each living organism.
This presentation will trace the interconnection of all aspects and occasions of water, its influence on escalating changes in weather as well as its vulnerability, its scarcity, and its diminishing capacity to self-purify.
Water, essential to life as we know it, rushes to the sea filled with toxins and pollutants that create expansive dead zones. For all its pervasiveness and power this necessary resource is both finite and vulnerable.
Paul Heltne, PhD, president emeritus of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, is our guest speaker. He will give a free lecture, sponsored by the Albertus Magnus Society, on Thursday, October 11, at 7 p.m. at the Priory Campus, Room 263.
This is one lecture in the 2012-2013 Albertus Magnus Society series at the Siena Center. The series will explore the chemistry, history, spirituality and geopolitics of water with experts who will unravel some of the complex ways this precious resource affects our universe, our planet, and our neighborhood.
Although water is nearly ubiquitous on this “Blue Planet,” its finitude and vulnerability are increasingly evident. Long recognized as a sign of divine presence and a centerpiece of the Christian sacramental experience, will water now disturb our peace?
In this series, we will study and celebrate the miraculous gift of water as we are also intellectually, morally, and spiritually challenged to make waves.