OBP - February 2023

Archive: Science Update: Earth Day in the Context of the Pandemic: A Chance to Reflect on Deferred Action, April 16, 2020

Earth Day is celebrated each year through public gatherings, vocal protests, and symbolic acts, each one seeking to renew our relationship with the Earth and pledging to work to do better for the coming year.  In the current setting, however, pragmatic action is the norm, protests can lose their audience, and large gatherings can be hazardous to one’s health.  How can one then frame plans to celebrate Earth Day from isolation?  

This presentation will describe a framework for reflection on the choices we make each day on the materials we use from the Earth, from the mundane to the exotic, considering disturbances to the landscape to the promise of what to do with a hole in the ground when we are done.  Using Earth Day for reflection, we can begin to form plans for action to last the other 364 days each year.

View the Archive Video

To view the presentation slides from the web seminar and related resources, visit the resource collection. Continue discussing this topic in the community forums.

Below are comments from individuals who attended the seminar:

  • "All of the resources and information in general. I had no idea about any of this. My father is from Turkey and I visit frequently but had no idea about that piece of history!"
  • "I enjoyed the framework of the presentation from the historical perspective to the moral framework around the change in societal norms. It was interesting to learn about some contemporary projects."
  • "I found the idea of using land change over time as both a scientific and historical topic will be very useful for me and my colleagues."
  • "This honestly fulfilled a pertinent need during some challenging times."
  • "This was a great seminar and helped open my eyes to things that I had never thought about before. I am now very interested in researching the local landscape disruptions near me."

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' account page for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

For more information contact: [email protected]

Presenters

  Eric Pyle

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