NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2006
Contact: Diane Brossart
Valley Forward Association
(602) 240-2408

JARED DIAMOND, WORLD-RENOWNED SCIENTIST & PULITZER PRIZE
WINNER, TO ADDRESS VALLEY FORWARD

PHOENIX, Ariz. (October 27, 2006) – Jared Diamond, a Pulitzer Prize winning
author, world-renowned scientist and acclaimed educator will deliver the
keynote address at Valley Forward’s 37th Annual Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. –
1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 1 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix.

A professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles,
Diamond will address such questions as: What can our society learn about our
future from past civilizations? Will we decline or flourish? Solve or fail
to solve our environmental challenges? And how will the choices we make
today impact us tomorrow?

In his Pulitzer Prize winning book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond
explains the environmental and geographic reasons why certain human
populations have flourished. In his more recent book, Collapse, he uses
these same factors to examine why such ancient societies as the Viking
colonies of Greenland, as well as modern ones like Rwanda, have fallen
apart. His body of work has been the subject of a PBS special: Great
Minds of Science: Evolution.

The event is open to the public for $75 per person or $700 for a table of
10. Reservations are available online at www.valleyforward.org or by
calling (602) 240-2408.

In addition to Diamond’s presentation, Valley Forward’s Annual Luncheon
will facilitate the election of the environmental public interest
organization’s 2007 Board of Directors and recognize outstanding contributions to the
association over the past year. The event has traditionally drawn upwards of
700 business and civic leaders.

“Since its inception in 1969, Valley Forward has advocated for a balance
between economic growth and environmental quality,” said Diane Brossart,
Valley Forward president. “Jared Diamond poignantly illustrates the
importance of that balance in sustaining future generations.”

Valley Forward’s mission is to bring business and civic leaders together to
convene thoughtful public dialogue on regional issues and to promote
cooperative efforts to improve the environment and quality of life in Valley
communities.