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Ecoman and the Skeptic, a New 'Green' Radio Show Broadcasting Live From Philadelphia University, to Debut Thursday, Jan. 15

Posted on: Thursday, 15 January 2009, 12:34 CST

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ecoman and the Skeptic, a new Philadelphia University radio show designed to educate, inform and entertain listeners on a wide range of topics on sustainability, will debut at 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15 on The Green Talk Network.

To listen live each week, go to www.PhilaU.edu/EcoManAndTheSkeptic/.

Sustainability experts Rob Fleming, an architect, and Chris Pastore, an engineer, will host the innovative internet-based radio show, which will run for 13 weeks in its first season. Fleming and Pastore are co-directors of Philadelphia University's Engineering and Design Institute.

During the hour-long show, which will air weekly on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Fleming and Pastore will tackle tough questions on such pressing topics as climate change, green building design, sustainable urban planning, alternate energy sources and the growing green economy. Each show will feature prominent guests and regular features such as the Green Wash quiz, the Street Talk interview segment and green news updates.

Listeners can email questions to the hosts at ecoman@philau.edu or theskeptic@philau.edu, or call in during the broadcast to 1-888-346-9141.

"The purpose of Ecoman and the Skeptic is to explore a range of topics related to sustainability in an entertaining way," said Pastore, professor of engineering. "We will have a wide range of expert guests, internal debates, quizzes, and will respond to calls and emails from listeners."

Ecoman and the Skeptic is designed to give multiple perspectives on a wide range of sustainability issues. Ecoman, as played by Fleming, sees everything through a pair of chartreuse-colored glasses, while the Skeptic, a role taken by Pastore, questions everything.

"Rob and I have been arguing about sustainability for over a decade," Pastore said. "We find the dialectic process to be an efficient method for solving problems. As I like to say to Rob, 'Are you sure about that?' I respect faith, but we have to question everything to learn."

"And I say that perception can often trump reality - that what we believe to be true is often more important than the reality," said Fleming, noting their differing approaches. "Sustainability is partly driven by facts about how our behaviors have negatively impacted the world. At the same time, though, sustainability is also about belief - belief that there are better ways to live on the planet, better ways to run our enterprises and better ways to treat each other."

The first show will tackle the critical issues of climate change and global warming, and look at the role that human behavior plays in contributing to these problems. This week's guest, Dr. Steve Ghan, climate scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wa., will talk to Pastore and Fleming about the atmospheric processes that drive regional and global earth systems.

Philadelphia University, founded in 1884, is a private university with 3,350 full- and part-time students enrolled in more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs. As part of its core mission, the University focuses on professionally oriented programs that prepare students for successful careers, with a strong foundation in the liberal arts and an orientation toward interdisciplinary cooperation. Philadelphia University includes Schools of Architecture, Business Administration, Design and Media, Engineering and Textiles, Liberal Arts, and Science and Health.

SOURCE Philadelphia University

Source: PR Newswire

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