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Three members of Earth Ethics will talk about how we can make a positive impact on our environment and enjoy healthier lives on a sustainable planet. Jim Rhodes will discuss some possible solutions to the problem of runoff from farms, urban areas, and even our own front yards, which adversely affects our nation's water supply. Bing Gibbs will compare EVs (Electric Vehicles) to gas-powered cars, contrasting the emissions of the power plants (providing charging capability for EV batteries) with the emissions from gas-powered automobiles. Doreen Hulsey will discuss the controversial topic of genetically modified organisms, and the unintended, dangerous, unpredictable consequences thereof. The biotech industry says we need them, but do we really? How do they affect our health and the environment? Doreen will cite the latest research and the dire prediction of an acclaimed expert. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Jim Rhodes is a licensed professional environmental engineer who works in the area of water pollution control in the St. Louis Area. He holds Master's degrees in both Environmental and Civil Engineering. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Bing Gibbs has become an activist for making sure the air we breathe is clean and the food we eat is highly nutritious. Bing joined the Gateway Electric Vehicle Auto Club on his quest to seek solutions for better air quality. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Upon discovering that the "conventional wisdom" of nutrition is incorrect, Doreen Hulsey began researching nutrition several years ago. She also writes a blog, lt;a href="http://CountdownToFitness.com" target="_blank"gt;CountdownToFitness.comlt;/agt;

Rory Ellinger was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives last November. He will focus his talk on the interesting and occasionally humorous discussions he has had with deeply Christian Republican majority members of the legislature as he worked to eliminate payday lending, to promote an increase in the cigarette tax, to establish a tax on out-of-state computer internet purchases, and to promote a fast train system between Kansas City and St. Louis. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Rory Ellinger, a practicing attorney for 30 years, has been a member of the Ethical Society of St. Louis for 25 years and is also a member of the ACLU. He has served on many boards. Since his election to the Missouri House, he has served on the Health Care, Social Services, Disability, Mental Health and Family Services Appropriations Committee, overseeing one-third of the state budget.

A look at the rise of legalized gambling in Missouri and how Missouri differs from other states, Europe and Asia with regard to legalized offerings and the issue of problem gamblers. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Melissa R. Stephens is the problem gambling programs administrator for the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC). She oversees Missouri’s Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program, assists problem gamblers and their families in locating treatment and other resources, monitors research and provides training for MGC and casino staff. She holds an Masters of Public Administration from Bowie State University and a B.S. in Psychology from Truman State University, and has worked in the field of addiction prevention, education and outreach since 1987. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Christopher W. Hinckley has been an attorney for the Missouri Gaming Commission since 2007 overseeing and advising on the regulation of riverboat casinos. He received a B.A in History and a M.A. in Teaching from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and graduated from the St. Louis University School of Law in 1999. Hinckley served as an officer in the United States Navy and moved to St. Louis in 1992 to teach at the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. Hinckley worked as a prosecutor in the Circuit Attorney's Office of the City of St. Louis until he joined the Commission in 2007. Hinckley is a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators, the International Masters of Gaming Law, and a board member of the Sports and Entertainment Business Advisory Board.

President Richard Nixon first declared a "War on Drugs" in 1971 as the government stepped up efforts to eradicate the country of mind-affecting drugs. Currently, the United States spends $40 billion annually on this "war" with no positive results. Drug policy since the 1980's has gutted the illegal search and seizure clause of the 4th Amendment. Drug laws have not been applied equally across all social classes and many believe are specifically targeted at the poor. By all accounts, our drug policy has been a failure. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Sara Serot was born in St. Louis. She has Masters Degrees in Special Education and in Health Administration. Sara earned her law degree from St. Louis University and has been a Public Defender in the state of Missouri for the past 19 years. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Dennis Owsley was born in California and earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He is the host of "Jazz Unlimited" on St. Louis Public Radio and has written a history of St. Louis jazz. Since the 1980's, he has been lecturing and teaching about the relationship between chemical structure and activity of mind-affecting drugs.

Criminal law is restrictive by virtue of spelling out what actions can result in punishment. But why criminalize such seemingly innocuous acts as not wearing a seatbelt or eating junk food? Why is graffiti criminalized but not marital infidelity; marijuana but not tobacco or alcohol? When does the state have the moral right to limit individual freedoms and prescribe punishment? If these distinctions are morally justified, why? As answers to these questions depend on the very conception of "freedom," we'll consider various philosophical views on freedom, and what is implied when a state criminalizes specific behaviors of its citizens. lt;brgt;lt;brgt; Zach Hoskins recently received his Doctorate in Moral and Political Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and is a recently-appointed Research Fellow in the Institute of Criminal Law and Justice at the University of Minnesota. In his dissertation, Zach examined the moral permissibility of criminal punishment. He and his wife Nora have lived in University City for the past seven years, along with two dogs whose freedoms they limit only when necessary.

Summer plants will be in full bloom when June Hutson will present this Platform about local/native plants, a low-maintenance option for those who wish to be good stewards and protect our wildlife and local ecosystem, as well as those who just want to enjoy beautiful plants, animals and insects in their natural setting. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;June Hutson is a local/native St. Louis gardener with a horticulture degree from Meramec Community College. She has worked for the Missouri Botanical Gardens for 35 years, and is the Aurelia Schlapp Curator of Perennials—the only horticulture curatorship awarded in the Gardens’ history. Currently, June supervises the Kemper Home Demo Gardens (dedicated to home gardening) and the Doris Schnuck Children's Gardens. She has grown her own business as an Independent Garden Consultant and Designer, written articles for popular gardening magazines and taught people at all ages to garden where they're planted.

Fifty years after 13-year old Tom St. John first traveled to Guatemala on a banana boat with his father, Tom finds himself called by the God's Child Project/Guatemala to build houses for the poor. These houses are constructed on the hillside slums of San Felipe that surround the ancient city of Antigua, Guatemala. For 58 years, his feet have travelled throughout Latin America - especially to Mexico, Panama, Belize and Guatemala. At this Platform, Tom will share stories of his journey and some important ethical principles he has learned along the way. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;While Tom St. John was born in St. Louis and has lived in South St. Louis most of my life, he started traveling at an early age - by 14 he had been to Cuba, The Bahamas, Panama, Honduras and Guatemala. Tom completed a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies and an M.B.A . He has been a public high school teacher in St. Louis for 38 years, and has also taught in Punta Gorda, Belize (near Guatemala). He and his wife of 18 years, Laraine, live in Affton, and have 5 children and 8 grandchildren. While he "retired" in 1999, he now works at Grant's Farm, teaches adults at Thomas Dunn Memorial and at OASIS. He last visited Guatemala in 2010.

Haley Pepper will regale you with stories about making connections with the people you meet on journeys, whether your journey or theirs. She will talk about the importance of helping others as well as being helped along your way. Mauricio Fonseca will speak about what you can learn while traveling when you keep adventure, environment, service, culture and language foremost in your mind.lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Haley Pepper and Mauricio Fonseca do not have typical résumés. They have formal educations and have done some normal things, but they also have an exaggerated sense of adventure. As a boy, Mauricio spent four years living in a hut with a Shaman in Costa Rica. Haley left Missouri to sail the seas on tall ships. Mauricio runs Rainforest Expeditions, their ecotourism company; Haley is a school nurse. The joy in their lives is little Eddie, their 16-month-old son.

Want to get your Mother's Day celebration off to an excellent start (after breakfast in bed)? This Platform is for you and the mothers in your life! Ethical Society members—a young girl, a teen, an Australian and mothers (of course)—will share their memories and stories. This Platform promises to delight and entertain.

Please join us to hear from members who celebrate significant membership anniversaries. All this and a little inspiration from Felix Adler, Founder of the Ethical Culture Movement, await old friends and new at our Annual Founder's Day Celebration.