The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Pauley Chea Frances Lappé spoke about her new novel, "Getting a Grip" at the Co-op Wednesday night.

Francis Moore Lappé spoke about her book, "Getting a Grip," at the Coop last night.

In front of 39 people, all eyes glued to her wild gesticulations and her vivid stories of inspiration, Lappé spoke freely of innovations in democracy, going green to save the earth, and being fully in control of fear.

"Hope is not what we find in evidence, it is what we create in action," she said.

The crowd consisted mostly of older townspeople, some of whom were longtime fans of the author. Some students were also present to hear ideas such as breaking the fear of separating, fear is just information, and that government is not the solution, it's the problem.

"I thought it was very thought provoking and inspirational," said Bianca Lopez, a 7th-semester ecology and evolutionary biology major. The few students that were present were affected by Lappé's fiercely exhilarating speech.

Her thoughts on environment and the way government is approaching consuming and the economy is something that Matthew Orrichio, a 3rd-semester animal science major who is also the President of the Eco-Garden club, was enriched with.

"We're proving that we don't need to be conventional," he said, "we can prove organic works."

A dynamic speaker, Lappé not only inspired people who identified with the causes that she spoke of, but she also was able to captivate and motivate the rest of the audience. She looked for new ways to change economies into self-reliant, thinking and thriving communities. Yet, she still has faith that government can work, and is a free thinker who believes that certain aspects, such as food sources, should be self reliant. She is not a self help speaker, but rather a self affirming and courageous speaker.

This was especially true when she spoke of food in a community reliant matter, 7th-semester ecology major Zbigniew Grabowski agrees.

"The revolution needs to start from the ground up … start at the grass roots, support local organic foods," Zbigniew said, one of the many audience members who agreed with a majority of Lappé's ideals.

After her lecture came a question and answer session which provided a closer look into the life she lived and how she came to feel the way she does; she proceeded to sign copies of her book as many people waited in line just to thank her for coming to speak to the community.



Contact Melissa Vega at Melissa.Vega@UConn.edu.

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