Come March, Aspen will be abuzz with high profile
environmental discussions when the Aspen Institute and National
Geographic magazine host the first ever Aspen Environment Forum.

“There are a few other environment forums out
there with this caliber of world-renowned speakers,” David Monsma, vice
president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Aspen
Institute’s Energy and Environment Program, said in a prepared
statement. But “this forum, unlike those others, is open to the public
— so it presents, for the first time, an opportunity for lay people to
get in on the kind of conversation that high-level leaders and
scientists in the field are used to having behind closed doors.”

From March 26-30, about 50 international
environmental leaders, including local luminaries such as — the
Rocky Mountain Institute’s Amory Lovins and the Aspen Skiing Co.’s
Auden Schendler, as well as folks like biology heavyweight and author
E.O. Wilson of Harvard University, Natural Resources Defense Council
president Frances Beinecke, Earth Policy Institute President Lester R.
Brown, and author and thinker James Kunstler — will put their heads
together to discuss climate change, energy, human rights and numerous
other environmental topics.

The first day will focus primarily on
science, natural history and current research, Monsma said, while the
second will deal mostly with policy and public discourse, and the third
will focus on sustainable solutions.

“We wanted to present a broad spectrum and
not just get into the weeds of climate change or energy security,”
Monsma said. “There will be a nice blend of policy and science, a
little bit of business, and a little speculation around the edges —
maybe some poetry.”

For more information, visit
www.energyandenvironmentawards.com [1]. Full forum passes range in price
from $1,700 to $3,000, but reduced prices and financial assistance are
available to government and non-profit employees, international guests
and university faculty and students.

sarah@aspendailynews.com