UNT Libraries to present UNT Speaks Out on Vegetarianism

Friday, October 17, 2014 - 14:55
Category:

What: UNT Speaks Out on Vegetarianism, presented by the University of North Texas Libraries

When: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 22 (Wednesday)

Where: Forum on the first floor of UNT's Willis Library, 1506 Highland Ave, Denton

Cost: Free

Contact: Spencer D.C. Keralis at spencer.keralis@unt.edu or 940-369-6884

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The University of North Texas Libraries' UNT Speaks Out series on Oct. 22 (Wednesday) will feature three speakers discussing their views on vegetarianism. The speakers include V. Barbara Bush, associate professor in the UNT Department of Counseling and Higher Education and president of the Black Vegetarian Society of Texas; Rebeccca Dickstein, professor of biological sciences; and Courtney Jacobs, special collections librarian for the UNT Libraries.

"We look for faculty with expertise and interests on a given topic," Spencer Keralis, research associate professor with the UNT Libraries and the organizer of UNT Speaks Out, said. "Then we come up with interesting juxtapositions of ideas and disciplines and put them together."

Bush will speak about outreach to communities that would not ordinarily embrace a plant-based diet. Dickstein will speak on food in a crowded planet and the importance of nitrogen, addressing the link between global dietary issues and legumes, an important component of the nitrogen cycle. Jacobs will speak on cooking from CSAs, or Community Supported Agriculture, describing strategies from her food blog for getting the most out of food co-operatives or community gardens and cooking with often-unfamiliar or unconventional vegetables. Each presenter has agreed to share a favorite recipe.

"A lot of students experiment with vegetarianism, but don't often do it healthily or smartly," Keralis said. "I think this event can give students some ideas about how to do vegetarianism well. I think, too, that some folks perceive vegetarianism as something trendy, or a lifestyle choice, and don't recognize the scientific, cultural and historical underpinnings of vegetarianism."

The UNT Speaks Out series began as a way for the UNT Libraries to create conversations about contemporary issues among faculty members, other members of the UNT community and Denton County residents. The events are free and open to the public. The discussions are held in the Forum on the first floor of UNT's Willis Library, which is located one block east of Highland Street and Avenue C at 1506 W. Highland St.

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