Global Challenges Seminar Completed
August 18, 2009
IALP Class of 2010 at Caterpillar - Edwards
The IALP Class of 2010 recently completed their Global Challenges seminar in Peoria. This seminar is sponsored by GROWMARK. A variety of presentations were made on the subjects of science, technology and the environment.
At the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, select entrepreneurs introduced new businesses which are trying to make it to the marketplace. The center’s mission is to have innovative, new companies take root in Peoria, where there is a long history of valuable research and development.
At Caterpillar’s Edwards Demonstration Facility, participants examined cap and trade and climate change in depth, including discussions on carbon exchanges, global warming, and land use changes allegedly linked to ethanol production. The proposed climate bill that narrowly passed the House was reviewed for it’s negative effects on agriculture and Midwestern energy resources. The class also had an interactive debate on recent international land purchases made by cash-rich governments looking to establish direct, bilateral commodity markets.
At Bradley University, global and regional water challenges were presented. Specifically, the Mahomet Aquifer was studied as an exercise in water resource management. A final presentation introduced the Great Rivers Partnership and the work The Nature Conservancy does to promote best practices when agriculture and ecosystems intertwine.