This past Wednesday, the Gustavus community hosted the 28th annual Mayday Peace conference. The Mayday peace conference began in 1982, and focuses on relevant social justice issues. Past conferences have addressed “topics such as
the necessity and effectiveness of international sanctions, global perspectives on the arms race, the tension between energy and the environment as a roadblock to peace, and the unfolding crisis of AIDS in Africa.”
The theme for this years event was “Troubled Water.” Scholars from many different regions made their way to Gustavus to present informational lectures. Lectures focussed on global water consumption, sustainability, and the social and economic challenges associated with providing water to a global community.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Aaron Wolf, a research scientist from Oregon State University.
I had the opportunity to attend a very interesting documentary during the Mayday Conference. The documentary highlighted the environmental issues associated with building dams. The writers of the film encouraged people to become aware of the enormous impact dams can have on the environment (through flooding, soot accumulation, etc), and to choose sustainability for out nations rivers.
The Mayday Conference is an annual reminder of the important social issues that the global community faces. Furthermore, I have always left the Mayday Conference feeling equipped with some basic tools to make change.