When thinking about politics, David Orr says one should also think about the environment.

The two, he believes, are interconnected.

Orr, chairman of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, will discuss everything from politics to ecology at his lecture, “Patriotism, Politics and the Environment in an Age of Terror,” at 7 p.m. Friday in the College of Design’s Kocimski Auditorium.

He will also discuss the concepts from his book of the same title.

“In his research and writings he makes an argument that politics and environment are linked and they need to be thought about collectively today, but they’re not, and that’s what’s causing a lot of the world’s problems,” said Tim Keller, chairman of landscape architecture.

Orr’s presentation is part of ISU’s P.H. Elwood Lecture in Landscape Architecture, which was established in 1997 to honor the legacy of professor Phillip H. Elwood, who is credited with developing the Department of Landscape Architecture. The lecture brings renowned guest lecturers to Iowa State each September.

With the current movement to get students to the polls to vote in the upcoming election, Keller said he thought it would be good timing for Orr’s lecture to come to campus.

Jim Miller and Mimi Wagner, assistant professors of landscape architecture, have invited Orr to join their class — Landscape Architecture 469X: Design of Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes — for a group discussion Friday.

“This is the first time a course like this is being taught in the design program, and having [Orr] join the discussion is a great opportunity,” Miller said, adding that Orr’s theories on sustainable design of landscapes will greatly aid students in understanding the connections between design and the environment.

Orr is an advocate for developing ecologically sustainable designs, Miller said.

“Politics has a lot to do with how we use natural resources — that’s how he weaves in politics,” Miller said.

Although he said he believes the lecture will greatly help his students, Miller said the lecture will also discuss topics beneficial for students in political science, environmental science, ecology, education, design, art, and community and regional planning.

“He’s a broad thinker, so the lecture will really be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the future and what we leave behind for future generations,” Miller said.

Orr will also speak at the fall conference of the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects at 1 p.m. Friday at Reiman Gardens.