Georgia Southern University’s Center for Sustainability is set to begin its 2018-2019 seminar series Wednesday.

The series began in 2014 and has since become a yearly tradition.

Each installment features a speaker that talks to students about a topic concerning environmental consciousness and sustainability. This year’s series will kick off with a lecture by David Orr, climate scientist and professor at Oberlin College.

Orr is a well-known pioneer in his field due to his contributions to higher education, politics and ecology-related building design. Orr has published many articles, books and reviews, and is no stranger to receiving awards for his work.

Fitting for the upcoming gubernatorial election, Orr’s lecture is entitled “The Climate of Democracy.” The lecture will discuss how politics and environmentalism are connected, focusing specifically on climate change.

The series’ goal is to further educate students about the environment and improve Georgia Southern’s ecological footprint.

“We bring these people in not only to have them available to our students, but we’re also trying to improve the image of Georgia Southern as a sustainable school,” Bonnie Cobb, graduate assistant at the Center for Sustainability, said.

In 2014, 75 percent of students voted to have a $10 sustainability fee, Cobb said. That year, the Center for Sustainability collected about $200,000 in grant money, began their work around campus and held their now yearly seminar series.

The Center is now able to provide the campus with newly painted bike lanes and water bottle refill stations. The Center encourages students to participate in the seminar series so they can gain information that helps them form their own ideas and possibly earn extra credit.

“The Climate of Democracy” will be held in the Performing Arts Center on the Statesboro campus Wednesday at 7 p.m. and broadcasted to the Ogeechee Theater on the Armstrong campus.

Akaria Stewart, The George-Anne Candidate, ganewed@georgiasouthern.edu