VANCOUVER, Wash. Author Katie Alvord will present her talk, “Asphalt, Automobiles, and America: Can We Live Better by Driving Less?,” at the Washington State University Vancouver campus 5:30 7 p.m., Feb. 21 in the Administration Building, room 110. The event is free and open to the public.
More than a century of American automobility has created a mobile nation, but downsides like pollution and traffic jams have led many to suggest a solution by driving less as well as differently. Looking at the past, the problems, and the potential, Alvord will address this question by highlighting key moments in automotive history. She will describe some of the drawbacks of relying so heavily on cars and asphalt by detailing how changes in travel can generate a range of benefits from slowing climate change to saving money.
Best known as the author of “Divorce Your Car! Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile,” Alvord is a long-term advocate of transportation reform. She has lectured in the U.S. and internationally; her freelance writing has appeared in a range of periodicals, including the Boston Globe, Orion Afield, E Magazine, and Utne Reader. A former librarian, she has also worked with several non-profit groups and bicycle advisory committees. She is a previous winner of a San Francisco Bay Area Clean Air Champion award, and recently won the 2007 Science Journalism Award for Online Reporting, given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She currently lives in Michigan.
The event is sponsored by the WSU Vancouver New Student Reading Project and General
WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus. Parking is available in metered spaces, or in the Blue Lot for $3/day. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor’s degrees, nine master’s degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 35 fields of study. Visit us on the Web at https://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.
