GPC Reads is hosting another exciting series of events coinciding with this semester’s book club choice, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is an incredible story by a young Malawian boy named William Kamkwamba. In his book, William discusses his life in Malawi, his friends, his family and their daily struggles. William explains the difficulties his family endures through times of disease, droughts and eventually a severe famine. In spite of the adversity William faces, he benefits greatly from his determination and ingenuity. Educating himself from books at the local library and using scrap metal, William designs and builds a wind turbine to bring electricity to his family and assistance to his village. GPC Reads is proud to host author William Kamkwamba on March 21 at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Clarkston Campus Cole Auditorium. This is a free event and it is open to all faculty, staff, students and community members.
In addition to William Kamkwamba’s visit on March 21st, a number of other events are being held at various campuses:
Sponsored by the Southeastern Institute for Sustainability and GPC Reads.
Speakers are Rashid Nuri, founder of Living Well Urban Gardens, Brandi Whitney, MPH, of the DeKalb Department of Health and Christopher Ferguson, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Atlanta Community Food Bank
In the midst of plenty, there are food deserts. This ‘desert’ is not a misspelling for that satisfying piece of pie. A food desert describes a geographic area where fresh food is practically nonexistent; and where fast food or packaged food is the norm. These deserts exist mostly in poor urban areas and unfortunately, there are many in metro Atlanta. And much like a real desert or the famine-ravaged region in Malawi where our GPC Reads author William Kamkwamba was born, these food deserts exact a high toll on human health.
On Wednesday, March 14 at 11 a.m. in the JCLRC on the Clarkston Campus, the Southeastern Institute for Sustainability and GPC Reads invite the GPC community to have a conversation with some experts on what it means to have access to fresh food—and what it means when we do not.
What does it take to operate the world’s largest aquarium—and be energy-efficient in the process? From the 6.3 million gallon tank, home to the giant whale sharks, to the tidal action of the coral reef, to the icy conditions of the penguin exhibit, the Georgia Aquarium houses what may be the most complex automated heating and cooling system in the world. A fluctuation in temperature can mean the difference between life and death for its inhabitants.
Go behind the scenes of this behemoth structure with Leroy Walden, vice president of McKenney’s, Inc. the company that designed —and now operates—the environmental controls for the day-to-day operations of the aquarium. Walden explains the story of how this system was built, its remote operations and the daily responsibility that his team has in maintaining the diverse environments of the aquarium.
Students, faculty and staff participating in GPC Reads are invited to draw comparisons between William Kamkwamba’s wind turbine and the advanced technologies of the aquarium’s green automated building system, and how both projects deal with sustainability issues.
Sponsored by GPC’s Southeastern Institute of Sustainability, GPC Reads and the Green Technology Academy of Georgia Piedmont Technical College, the event will be at 6 p.m. Monday, March 19 in the Jim Cherry Learning Resources Center, Clarkston Campus. For information, contact Dr. Joanne Chu, director of GPC’s Southeastern Institute for Sustainability at 678-891-3354.
March 21 10 a.m. Newton: Daffodil Festival, Panel on “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” with Sheldon Fleming, Deborah Summerville of Wonderland Gardens, George Hernandez of the U.S. Forestry Service, and Julie Langley, GPC Reads Newton coordinator. Moderated by Jane Hercules. Panel discusses issues of sustainability and relates local issues to the book by William Kamkwamba.
March 21, 11:30 a.m. Clarkston, Cole Auditorium
William Kamkwamba speaks at Cole Auditorium; introduced by Dr. Mary Atwater, author of the book Using Energy, which inspired William to build a windmill.
Talk features book trailers on the “big screen” produced by Mary Helen Ramming’s English 1101 students and a “surprise” performance by members of the African Student Association.
There may be a reception afterward sponsored by the Southern Academy and the African Student Association and possibly the Clarkston campus French Club.
March 21, 7:30 p.m. Cole Auditorium
Featuring host Liam Madden, Southern Academy for Literary Arts and Scholarly Research Distinguished Chair, who will interview William Kamkwamba. Dr. Mary Atwater will introduce William. Opening entertainment includes book trailers and video from “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” on the screen.
Book signing 8:30-9 p.m.
For more information about GPC Reads, take a look at the GPC Reads website. Also, to stay up to date on GPC Reads events and to keep in touch with other GPC Reads members, make sure to “like” GPC Reads on Facebook. We hope to see you at some of these events!
-Amelia Glawe
Inside the Perimeter: GPC's Library Blog 