CMSP, in conjunction with the City of St. Cloud, is pleased to announce the following speakers at the 2nd Annual Sustainability Expo on April 22!
11:30 a.m. Dr. David Kroska- Live Well: Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability
Dr. Kroska was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has been a practicing
OBGYN physician for over 30 years in St. Cloud. As founder and
Physician Director of the LIFE Program at CentraCare, he has positively
improved the lives of many Central Minnesota residents. His professional
interest in wellness matches his personal commitment to healthy living. He
is an avid organic gardener, founding ACME Tomato, a micro-business
promoting tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants. His wife of 31 years,
Susan, is an inspired cook who enjoys baking artisan whole grain breads
in the wood-fired oven David made. His free time is spent with his wife
and their eight children (seven daughters and one son) in their family
garden and apple orchard.
12:45 David Abazs- VICTUS Farms: Growing Renewable Fuel and Food
As a farmer, Senior Fellow and Endowed Chair in Agriculture at University
of Minnesota Duluth, David is a leader in increasing the percentage of
food that is produced regionally, and modeling how the Lake Superior
bioregion can map out their own pathway. As a member of the VICTUS
Farms Design Team, Abazs led the partnership between the City of Silver
Bay and UMD’s Center for Sustainable Community Development to build
an 8,600 square foot facility that houses a self contained food and energy
generating ecosystem. David is owner of Round River Farm &
Renewables LLC and Financial Services LLC as well as a non-profit,
Shalom Seed Sanctuary, in Finland, MN. His farm is solar and wind
powered using an intensive cropping system and provides educational
opportunities for local and international delegations. David’s family’s
ongoing quest is to “live simply so that others may simply live.”
1:45 Dr. John Abraham-Climate Change: What Do We Really Know?
Dr. Abraham is a Professor of Thermal Sciences at the University of
St. Thomas. His research areas include renewable power
development and oceanographic temperature measurements. He has
been an active public speaker on the dangers of climate change. Dr.
Abraham formed the Climate Science Rapid Response Team which
consists of approximately 150 of the world’s best climate scientists.
Their mission is to improve communication between scientists and the
larger public. He became well known in the field of climate science
after his public debate with climate denier Christopher Monckton.
That debate received international attention and was covered in the
US, Europe, and Australia.
The Expo runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m at SCSU’s Halenbeck Hall. With over 70 exhibitors, free sustainable, locally-sourced food and the chance to pet a real live yak, this year’s expo is sure to be an exciting experience for the entire family!