Sydney Theatre Company Announces Free 'Wentworth Talks' Series Beginning 28 June

Sydney Theatre Company and the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists present

The Wentworth Talks
A series of free events at The Wharf

Throughout 2010, as part of the Greening The Wharf program, Sydney Theatre Company is joining with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists to present The Wentworth Talks, a series of events led by guest speakers addressing a wide range of topics relating to climate change and the environment. Each session includes opportunities for questions and discussion.

The next two events are:

Mon 28th June 2010 at 6.30pm - Dr John Williams
Can We Secure Our Food Whilst Maintaining Our Environment?

As world population continues to expand, projected demand for food will require agricultural and fisheries production to double over the next fifty years.
Whilst this is a huge call for food production to be increased substantially, the more demanding challenge is to make these huge increases while decreasing detrimental impacts on natural resources and the environment.

Mon 23rd August 2010 at 6.30pm - Professor Tim Flannery
People and Planet in the 21st Century

"From James Lovelock's The Eclipse of Gaia to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, our media is filled with apocalyptic visions of our future. But is our fate necessarily so bleak? By analysing the climate crisis, and by taking an evolutionary perspective on our society and ourselves, I've become convinced that there's a sound basis for hope. Time, however, is short, and the path to sustainability turns out to be somewhat surprising. Basically, our history tells us that it's only by giving something away that we'll secure our futures." - Tim Flannery

Venue: Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company
Tickets: FREE (bookings recommended)
Bookings: 02 9250 1777 sydneytheatre.com.au

Dr John Williams
Dr John Williams is a long-time advocate of the need for Australia to adopt land use practices that are both productive and sustainable in terms of resource use and impact on the environment, and has published extensively on the nature of agriculture as part of the natural ecosystem. Dr Williams was Chief and Deputy Chief of CSIRO Land and Water since its inception in 1997 until he retired from CSIRO in 2004. John lead, with Dr Phil Price, the LWRRDC/CSIRO Program "Redesign of Agriculture for the Australian Landscape", which explored and set down some robust principles in the search for solutions to the fundamental causes of land degradation under current agricultural practice. His advocacy of "Farming without Harming" is now finding acceptance in the progressive farming community and Landcare.

Dr Williams was the inaugural Chair of the Water Action Council for the Global Research Alliance, which brings together strategic thinking on water resources management from around the world. He was an inaugural member of the Board for CRC Irrigation Futures, previously member of Ministerial Scientific Advisory Council for NSW Department of Primary Industry, and inaugural Chief Scientist for NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources where he chaired the Board of Science and Information. Currently, Dr Williams is Commissioner of the NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC). In addition to his part-time role as NRC Commissioner, Dr Williams is a member of the Commission for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Scientific Advisor to the Board for Landcare Australia Limited, Chair of the Science Advisory Council to Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre and Chair of Advisory Board to The Commonwealth Environmental Research Fund's Landscape Logic Hub.

Tim FlanneryAn internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, Tim Flannery has published more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into 25 languages. In 2006 it won the NSW Premier's Literary Prizes, the O2 (German Environmental Prize) and the US Lannan Prize (literary Lifetime Achievement).

In 2001 he received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science, and in 2002 he delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.

He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He reviews regularly for the New York Review of Books.

In 2007 Tim Flannery co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who have come together to confront climate change. He advises various businesses on the climate problem, including Attunga Capital, Deutchebank, and CLSA Asia.

Greening The Wharf
Greening The Wharf is one of the key projects that Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett announced as a priority when appointed Artistic Directors of Sydney Theatre Company. The initiative will transform The Wharf, the Company's much-loved home on Sydney Harbour, into a unique demonstration of how buildings, even heritage-listed ones, can be made more sustainable. The key initiatives are; the installation of the state-of-the-art PV array to commence in 2010; the introduction of a program of extensive energy efficiency measures developed in conjunction with Energy Advisor to Greening The Wharf, EnergyAustralia; and the introduction of an innovative rainwater harvesting, storage and reticulation system which will supply 100% of the Company's non-potable water requirements.

Greening The Wharf is possible due to funding from the Shi's Family Charitable Foundation and the Australian Government under the Green Precincts Fund.

For more information, visit sydneytheatre.com.au.

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