GEM has joined forces with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia for a new, ongoing program - Town Square. The Town Square is an exciting new series of discussions, workshops, and public forums designed to bring together scientific and policy experts to consider critical environmental issues. The goal is to promote dialogue and thoughtful exchanges on important public issues that relate to sustainability and the environment.

By working with the Academy, GEM is able to make these live programs available online, free of charge; to individuals, schools, and organizations across the world. As part of the online audience, or webcast, participants can watch the program and interact via the online chat forum. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about current issues and events.

This program kicked off in May 2004 with the 3rd Youth Leadership Forum, featuring a distinguished panel of speakers including the world famous wildlife expert Dr. Jane Goodall. Over 400 students and educators attended the forum to consider the theme "Awakening Global Awareness." Six remote sites in the United States, Czech Republic, Canada, and Mexico participated in the event.

A recent edition of Town Square was Dodging Doomsday: From Tsunamis to Dead Zones, held on January 20, 2005. This program addressed the questions that many of us have been asking – including how tsunamis occur and how we can protect ourselves from future such disasters.

Each Town Square is archived on the Academy website at www.acnatsci.org/townsquare, including the following; Awakening Global Responsibility: A Call to Sustainable Democracy – featuring Dr. Jane Goodall, Urban sprawl: Human causes/environmental effects, Chemical contaminants in the Delaware River: How much is too much?,  Lewis and Clark's Legacy, and Dodging Doomsday: From Tsunamis to Dead Zones.

To find out what Town Square program is coming in the future – please check out the Upcoming Events section of the GEM website at gem-ngo.org. New participants are always welcome, and anyone interested is asked to contact GEM at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .