Category | Arts & Living

Conference promotes green living, peace

Published on March 30, 2010 by Tori Wester

The fluorescent lights created a glow on the short silver hair, turquoise earrings and rimless glasses of Dr. George Ann Huck as she spoke of her home and the people she loved there.

“I’m one of those interdisciplinary souls who never find a home and just keep wandering,” said Huck, describing her lifestyle in the Mexican state of Yucatan.

Huck was the keynote speaker of the Sixth Annual KSU Peace Conference that centered on peace and the economy. The event was a series of workshops attended by people interested in promoting peace in their personal circles, as well as the world.

Huck’s speech, “The Economy and Women’s Leaders in Mexico: How Poverty Impacts Women’s Leadership in the Yucatan,” centered around her  experiences helping poor women overcome their financial situations.

While spending time in the region, Huck encouraged the Mayan women to become their own individuals. The address showcased Huck’s talent as a master storyteller.

“Walk with me where life is scraped away in the cornfield,” she began, recounting the story of a woman who dedicated her life to becoming more than just the wife of a poor man.

Audrey Garcia, an associate professor of Spanish and interim director for the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies, attended the lecture.

“What attracted me to this conference was [Huck] presenting women’s issues,” said Garcia, who was born and raised in Mexico City and has witnessed gender inequality among Mexican and Mayan women in her homeland as well as in Georgia.

After Huck’s lecture, attendees headed outside for coffee and muffins before disappearing into workshops. One of the sessions, “Building Awareness of Important Economic Relationships between Host Communities and Students on Study Abroad,” showed students how to react to cultural differences, mannerisms and monetary situations in other countries.

Other topics included environmental friendliness, marketing green products and the problem of mislabeling goods as “green” when they’re not.

Dr. Ken Harmon, dean of the Coles College of Business, presented “The Role of Business in a Meaningful Life.”

“The more we live life at peace with the world around us, the more peace evolves and flourishes,” Harmon said of the relationship between employee and manager. Harmon gave examples of companies such as Google, Timberland and Semco to demonstrate how happy employees make businesses  more peaceful entities.

For more information on the Peace Studies program or on how to be involved with next year’s peace conference, contact Tom Pynn at tpynn@kennesaw.edu.