One of many of China's overwhelming challenges is that posed by waste management. The vast refuse deposits near Beijing will be discussed, including the dangers these pose, and the lives of people who have found an uncertain occupational niche therein. Participants Joshua Goldstein, History, University of Southern California, Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap: waste and recycling in Beijing, the Mao years (1949-1980) Kao Shi-yang, PhD Candidate Geography, UC Berkeley, From ""Old Building Materials"" to ""Building Garbage"": The Wastification of Demolition Materials in Post-socialist Beijing Mao Da, PhD Candidate Environmental History, Beijing Normal University, Waste and Civil Society: How has Garbage Transformed Chinese Environmental NGOs? ...

The Berkeley Food Institute presents The Food Exchange, a series designed to foster faculty and student engagement and cross-disciplinary thinking, and to become a leading public forum for the exchange of ideas about the food system. The Food Exchange engages leading national and global experts from off-campus with eminent UC Berkeley faculty in unique conversations about topics that are highly relevant for transitioning to a more diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food system. The first Food Exchange on September 23, 2013 features a forum moderated by Mark Schapiro, a correspondent for the Center for Investigative Reporting and an affiliate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. The panel features: Miguel Altieri, Professor, Environmental Science Policy & Management, CNR, UC Berkeley. Altieri is one of the leading global experts on agroecology, food sovereignty, and sustainable agriculture in Latin America. Maximilian Auffhammer, Professor, Agricultural & Resource Economics, CNR, UC Berkeley. Auffhammer is known for his expertise in environmental and resource economics, energy economics, and applied econometrics. ...