The legacy of Earth Day created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson will live on at Nicolet College Wednesday, April 23, when distinguished Professor Lisa H. Newton presents Integrity, Stability and Beauty: A Sustainable Environmental Ethic.

Newton will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Nicolet College Theatre on the Rhinelander campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Newton is a professor of philosophy and director of the Environmental Studies Program at Fairfield University in Fairfield , Conn. , and an Associate in Medicine at Yale Medical School .

During her Earth Day presentation she'll discuss:

- the environmental milestones that led up to the first Earth Day in 1970;

- what has happened since then, namely the swings of the environmental regulation and protection pendulum, the increase in consumerism, the growth of major green businesses that have prospered catering to sustainable-minded consumers;

- and what we must do in the future to bring about a sustainable natural environment that includes humans.

A major part of the solution is to adopt the vision posed by famed Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold, Newton explained. “The vision will be Aldo Leopold's, the Land Ethic that has formed the environmental movement for half a century,” she said.

Newton has authored or co-authored several books and more than 80 articles in the field of ethics and environmental studies.

She is also a national leader in the field of medical ethics and will give the presentation Death: A Survey of the Philosophical Issues at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at St. Mary's Hospital Conference Room 1 in Rhinelander. This event, co-sponsored by Nicolet College and Ministry Health Care, is also free and open to the public.