Alberta Tar Sands slide shows, talks planned

Garth Lenz, an internationally renowned environmental photojournalist, will present his talk and award-winning slide show, “The True Cost of Oil: Images of Beauty and Devastation,” on the Alberta Tar Sands on Monday in Davis.

He will speak at 7 p.m. that evening at the United Methodist Church of Davis, 1620 Anderson Road, in a presentation sponsored by the Cool Davis Initiative. The suggested donation $15 to $20; students are free. Space is limited; pre-register at www.cooldavislenz.eventbrite.com.

“Canada’s Tar Sands are perhaps the most visually compelling example of all that is wrong with our addiction to fossil fuels and why we must change or face dire consequences for all life on Earth,” Lenz says. His TED talk on the Tar Sands has been visited more than 700,000 times at http://www.ted.com/talks/garth_lenz_images_of_beauty_and_devastation.html.

Best known for his work presenting environmental and social justice issues, Lenz has photographed extensively throughout Canada’s temperate rainforest and boreal forests, gathering images that show the plight of the pristine Canadian boreal region and its people now confronted by a vast industrial project.

The Alberta Tar Sands are the third largest, most carbon-intensive oil reserves on the planet, and their exploitation is a global threat to climate stability, he says.

Lenz also will present his slide-show talk at 5 p.m. Tuesday in 2 Wellman Hall at UC Davis. The presentation is open to the UCD community and the general public.

Additionally, Lenz will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at Goethe Hall at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1702 L St. in Sacramento. Donations will be accepted at the door.