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One-woman play looks at life of environmental crusader

Nov. 25, 2008

KALAMAZOO--"A Sense of Wonder," a one-woman play based on the life and works of the late-environmentalist Rachel Carson, will be shown Friday, Dec. 5, on the campus of Western Michigan University. The free public event will be at 7 p.m. in the North Ballroom of the Bernhard Center.

Carson, a biologist and nature writer, was the author of bestsellers exploring the deep sea. In the late 1950s, she turned her attention to environmental problems cause by synthetic pesticides. National publicity, including a 1963 CBS Reports segment on her book, "Silent Spring," spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy and a ban on DDT and other pesticides. She died in 1964 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"A Sense of Wonder," written and performed by Kaiulani Lee, has been touring the United States for more than 10 years, being the centerpiece of regional and national conferences on conservation, education, journalism and the environment. It has been performed for more than 100 universities, dozens of high schools, the Smithsonian Institution, United Nations, Sierra Club and Department of Interior. In addition, Lee opened the 2005 World Expo in Japan and performed in May 2007 on Capitol Hill.

The event is sponsored by WMU Students for a Sustainable Earth. For more information, contact the organization at ssewmu@gmail.com.

Media contact: Deanne Molinari, (269) 387-8400, deanne.molinari@wmich.edu

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