Normal, Ill.—Illinois State University will host New York Times Bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin in the Prairie Room of the Bone Student Center on October 7th at 7 p.m. as part of the Fall 2013 Presidential Speaker Series.
Mr. Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, D.C. and author of nineteen books studying the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, society, and the environment. He has served as an adviser to the European Union, which formally adopted the Third Industrial Revolution long-term economic sustainability plan, of which Rifkin was the primary author, in 2007. The plan addresses the converging threats of economic crisis, energy security, and climate change.
His latest book, The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, outlines a strategy for creating a sustainable energy economy by transitioning to renewable sources, outfitting buildings to be able to collect renewable energy, utilizing hydrogen and other energy storage devices, improving the power grid on every continent with inter-grid technology to allow small energy producers to sell and share surplus electricity, and shifting to an electric, and fuel cell transportation infrastructure.
Jeremy Rifkin’s vision of the future is particularly relevant to Illinois State University, which is home to the Center for Renewable Energy, the renewable energy major, and is located in “EV Town, USA.”
Mr. Rifkin is also a senior lecturer at the Wharton School’s Executive Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and founder of the Third Industrial Revolution Global CEO Business Roundtable, comprising 100 of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, construction companies, architectural firms, real estate companies, IT companies, power and utility companies, and transport and logistics companies.
Mr. Rifkin has testified before Congress on a variety of environmental, technological, and scientific issues, and has appeared on a number of television programs, including Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Face the Nation, and Today. The National Journal chose Rifkin among the 150 most influential people shaping federal policy.
Mr. Rifkin holds a degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has lectured at more than 300 universities in more than 30 countries.
The event is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Student Environmental Health Association, Student Sustainability Committee, and the Office of Sustainability.
