Julie Urbanik, Ph.D., is assistant professor of Geography in the Geosciences Department at UMKC. She is a cultural geographer doing major research into human interaction with nonhuman species. Her book, Placing Animals: An Introduction to the Geography of Human-Animal Relations, was published August 2012. The consumption of animals as food is one of its major categories. She will discuss the environmental impacts of industrial livestock production in conjunction with an exploration of the cultural politics of consuming animals.