Howard E. Woodin ES Colloquium Series

What is Safe?

ES Core Panel featuring: Peter Ryan, Professor of Geology, Rebecca Kneale Gould, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Studies Co-chair: Philosophy, Religion, and the Environment Focus, Christopher McGrory Klyza, Stafford Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Environmental Studies.

In this Fall’s core faculty colloquium, we will examine the concept of “safety” from a number of perspectives. How do we translate the abstract concept of safety into actual, on-the-ground policy? How helpful are broadly accepted parameters (such as EPA limits) if these limits have more to do with what is technically “achievable” than with what is actually healthy? And is safety for me the same as safety for you? How do concepts of “environmental safety” get shaped and mitigated by geography, race, class, gender and culture?