Reconnecting Humans, Health & Habitat July 13 Conference Featuring World Renowned Environmentalists

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Jul 12, 2010, 05:30 ET

MIAMI, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A landmark collaboration between St. Thomas University and Barry University law schools has been leading the way examining law and governance engaged in earth-centered initiatives. Recent ecological disasters have raised the general public's awareness of the critical issues as the international community is expressing a deep concern about the private and public sector needs to address the deterioration of marine life and the planet.

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Tuesday, July 13, the two law schools are hosting a conference on "Ecological Integrity: Reconnecting Humans, Health and Habitat," with world-renowned environmentalist and Right Livelihood Award (the "alternative to the Nobel Prize") winner Dr. Vandana Shiva, joined by Dr. Mira Shiva, to be held at Miami's Sofitel Hotel.

Dr. Vandana Shiva will discuss ecological integration and the urgency of protecting the earth's biological diversity in the context of small-scale organic agriculture. She is the founder of Navdanya (www.navdanya.org) and the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. Physician, public health activist and chairperson of Health Action International Asia-Pacific Dr. Mira Shiva – also director of The Initiative for Health Equity and Society - will explore links between ecological integrity and public health issues affecting vulnerable populations. Other environmental personalities from academia and non-profit circles will participate in the conference, including Dr. Mahadev Bhat, Associate Professor of Florida International University who oversees the Agroecology Program; Leonie Hermantin, Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund (on rebuilding Haiti); and Susan Luck, founder and president of the Earth Rose Institute.

Sponsored by The Miami Herald, the conference starts at 2:30 pm, followed by a dinner at 6:00 pm with Dr. Vandana Shiva as keynote speaker. Costs for attending the conference are $15 for students and $45 for the general public; dinner priced at $25 for students and $50 guests. There is still an opportunity to pay at the door, including both events at $90. To pay for tickets, get additional information on the program and/or the Center for Earth Jurisprudence, please logon to www.earthjuris.org/events, call 305.474.2488 or contact [email protected].

SOURCE St. Thomas University