Actress Alicia Silverstone, best known for her starring role in the film “Clueless,” will showcase her environmental activism during a talk at the University of Central Florida.
Silverstone is one of several interesting speakers UCF’s Global Perspectives Office is bringing to the university this spring as the office continues its mission to sharpen UCF’s international focus.
Speakers also will include Paul Rusesabagina, a humanitarian whose heroic work during the Rwandan genocide inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” and Sergei Khrushchev, son of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Silverstone’s presentation, “An Afternoon with Alicia Silverstone on the Environment,” will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.
She authored the book “The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet,” which outlines the benefits of a plant-based diet. Silverstone’s popular website, The Kind Life, is an extension of the book that focuses living a happy, healthy life while taking care of Mother Earth.
An avid animal rights activist, Silverstone became a vegan in 1998 and has since championed the rights of animals everywhere. Silverstone has been honored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, VegNews Magazine and the Farm Animal Rights Movement.
Other programming highlights this semester include:
–Francis Bok, an abolitionist and former Sudanese child slave, will present “Escape From Slavery” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.
— Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero from “Hotel Rwanda,” will present “Hotel Rwanda: A Lesson Yet to Be Learned” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.
— Sergei Khrushchev, senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies and son of the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, will present “Russia in the 21st Century” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.
— The Central Florida Global Economic Forum 2011, themed “Redefining Competition in the 21st Century,” will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 12. Speakers include Parag Khanna, geo-strategist, global political economist and author of “The Second World: How Emerging Powers are Redefining Global Competition in the 21st Century”; and Alex Counts, president and CEO of the Grameen Foundation. Advance registration is required. Free for UCF students and staff and faculty members. Call 407-823-0935 or e-mail global@mail.ucf.edu for more information or to register.
For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit http://ucfglobalperspectives.org or follow the office on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UCF_Global.