From COVID’s impacts to world-renowned rainforest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni, the Gund Institute for Environment will host a series of thought-provoking, interactive events for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
Here’s how to register and participate:
Panel Discussion: Sustainability in the Pandemic Era
Tuesday, April 21, 2:30-4 p.m.
This panel discussion on the COVID-19 crisis will cover preliminary research, early lessons, and how to collaborate on solutions. Speakers will include: Meredith Niles, Chris Danforth, Stephanie Seguino, Brendan Fisher, Luz de Wit, and Jon Erickson. Topics include food insecurity, disease ecology, mental health, Sustainable Development Goals, rebuilding our economy, and more. Register to participate online.
Keynote Speaker: Nalini Nadkarni
Wednesday, April 22, 4:30 p.m.
UVM’s Earth Day keynote speaker is Nalini Nadkarni, a world-renowned rainforest ecologist and public science advocate – who is the basis for a new "Treetop Barbie" doll. She will speak on “Disturbance, Recovery and Discovery: Lessons from Tropical Rainforests.” Nadkarni’s tree canopy research offers a unique perspective – ecological and humanistic – about life on Earth. Co-presented by UVM's Environmental Program and the Gund Institute. Learn more and participate online.
Sustainability Summit: Impact of UVM Research & Teaching on Sustainability
Wednesday, April 22, 9 am-4:30 p.m.
This highly interactive summit will explore: “How might we achieve and measure the impact of our sustainability teaching, research and outreach efforts.” The event is an opportunity for the UVM and broader community to envision how to drive sustainable change within our own systems for the next 50 years. The summit will be co-facilitated by MBA students, and is co-hosted by UVM’s Sustainable Innovation MBA program and the Gund Institute. Learn more and participate online.
When Corona Met Climate Change... What Changed?
Wednesday, April 22, 12-1:30 p.m.
Join UVM EcoCultureLab for a series of live, short, creative responses from around the world to the intersection of coronavirus and climate change. Two tidal waves meet, one of them arriving very slowly (over decades), the other arriving suddenly: what happens when they converge? What might they enable, as we head into the second half century after Earth Day, toward Ecotopia Day (April 22, 2070)? Learn more and participate online.
Explore the full schedule of UVM Earth Week events. Register to join an all-day Earth Day@50 event on April 20, presented by UVM’s Earth Day partner, the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute.