Photography by: John S. Dykes

ASPEN: ENVIRONMENTAL MECCA?

Is it the mountains, the town's green laws or the Aspen Institute? Why the world's greatest green thinkers stop in Aspen.

Dr. M.A. Sanjayan pauses for reflection when asked to reveal his favorite memory from the 2009 Aspen Environment Forum. Sanjayan, a native of Sri Lanka who works as a conservation biologist at the University of Montana, wastes little breath with his answer: “There are too many to say,” he says.
During the four-day forum, which is organized by the Aspen Institute, Sanjayan, 43, discussed policy with author Charles Wohlforth, viewed the photography of National Geographic’s Nick Nichols, and took part in discussions led by iconic oceanographer Sylvia Earle. He stood at the Sundeck as EPA administrator Lisa Jackson told onlookers, “The EPA is back on the job for the American people to protect the environment.” The crowd, which included fellow environmental leaders and laymen alike, reacted with a volley of cheers.
“This is the chance to meet the people who have big ideas about the environment,” says Sanjayan, who attended the inaugural forum in 2008. “Not only do you have really bright speakers and panelists, but the audience is just as impressive.”
Sanjayan is part of a new generation of intellectuals who flock to Aspen seeking enlightened discussion and fresh ideas regarding the environment. It has been 61 years since Chicagoan Walter Paepcke held... 

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