Speakers from Earth First, Greenpeace and Terra will present their views about the environment at 6 p.m. Thursday night in the Holmes Student Center’s Capitol Room.

“This is a forum to bring in representatives from different groups to present different ideas,” said Michael Baltasi, co-founder of the Students Environmental Action Coalition, the sponsor of the free event.

Bob Kasper, spokesman for Earth First will “get a chance to tell their story,” Baltasi said. The group often gets misrepresented in the media because of its “paramilitaristic” actions, he said.

Greenpeace Spokesman Andrew Tonachel’s presentation will concern ozone, Baltasi said. “It’s sort of a generic issue, but is still important,” he said.

Dan Turner of Terra—the latin word for earth—will talk about international pesticides trade, Baltasi said. This trade is also called the “circle of poisons” because cancer-causing pesticides are shipped to Third World countries and used in food imported to the United States, Baltasi said.

SEAC also will sponsor a free panel at 7:30 Friday night in Cole 100 on “The Nuclear Energy Alternative.”

The panel is comprised of two advocates of nuclear energy and two opponents, Baltasi said. NIU political science Professor Kurt Wenner is an “opponent” on the panel and NIU communications professor M. Jack Parker will moderate the debate, he said.

“People just don’t know enough about it,” Baltasi said. The events will give people the chance to listen and make up their own minds about environmental problems, he said.