Event: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

Event: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson
Event: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

Following Naomi Klein’s talk in Spring 2020, The Climate Action Capacity Project, funded by the Erol Foundation, is thrilled to host, in collaboration with groups across campus, this critical event on Nov 12th from 6-7:30pm!

When climate change looms large, the pandemic has no definitive end in sight, racism and racial injustices continue to compound, the US election is uncertain, and everything feels overwhelming, what do you do? How do you find your way to meaningful action? Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson will join us virtually for a special conversation about their experiences and draw on insights from their new book, “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis,“ a collection of essays by women spanning backgrounds, approaches, and generations at the forefront of the climate movement.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities, and founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv , a consulting firm for conservation solutions. Johnson is the co-host of Gimlet Media’s How to Save a Planet, co-created the Blue New Deal, and has written and presented widely on hope, strategy, and the intersections of race, racism and the climate crisis. 

Dr. Katharine Keeble Wilkinson is an author, strategist, and teacher working to heal the planet we call home. Her writings include The Drawdown Review (2020), the New York Times bestseller Drawdown (2017), and Between God & Green (2012), which The Boston Globe dubbed “a vitally important, even subversive, story.” She is a vice president at Project Drawdown, where she leads the organization’s editorial, creative, and communication work on climate solutions. She recently launched the “A Matter of Degrees” podcast.

Cosponsors include: MCAB, Franklin Environmental Center, SNEG, New Perrenials Project, Innovation Hub, among others.

Film Series: Water, Justice, Power

Join us for three film screenings in the Water, Power, and Justice Film Series where we will watch and discuss documentaries focused on water contamination in marginalized communities across North America, and the World. 

Flint: The Poisoning of an American City 

Date: March 30th at 7pm 

This documentary follows the events before, during, and after the Flint water crisis in 2014. It sheds light on the environmental neglect and environmental racism that occured during this crisis and the effects that this abuse had on the individuals in Flint. Many of us are aware of the Flint water crisis, but this documentary lets us into the homes and lives of the people living there and combines interviews with residents, experts, and committee hearings to dig deeper into the crisis.  

There’s Something in the Water 

Date: April 26, 7-9pm

This Canadian documentary highlights three communities deeply affected by the rampant environmental racism present in Nova Scotia. Elliot Page (the producer and director) speaks with Black and Indigenous women about how the pollution of their water has affected their families, friends, and neighborhood, and dives into why the outrageous health effects have been left unaddressed by the government. 

Flow: For the Love of Water

Date: May 18, 7-9pm

This 2008 documentary focuses on the global water crisis, water privatization, and pollution. Through interviews with activists, experts, and communities world-wide, Flow highlights the issues of agricultural pollutants and massive corporations controlling local water resources. Although this is a relatively old film, it introduces topics that are still relevant and pervasive today.  

Other Past Events

  • Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Welcome Back Social

    Welcome back Middlebury students, staff and faculty! Join the Sustainability & Environmental Affairs team for a gathering in the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest courtyard to reconnect, share snacks, and ignite exciting collaborations in the realm of sustainability and climate action for the new academic year. Bring your team and/or friends and spread the word!

    Rain location: The Orchard, Franklin Env Center 103

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Closed to the Public
  • Environmental Studies Thesis Presentation

    “Flags of (In)Convenience: What Illegal Fishing Within Madagascar’s Marine Protected Areas Reveals About Food Sovereignty and Resource Security” an Environmental Studies senior thesis presentation by Victoria Andrews ‘23, Environmental Policy major.

    Presentation will take place at 4:30pm followed by Q&A with the audience.

    Axinn Center 220

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    ENVS 0401 B Community Engaged Practicum Student Presentations: Cultivating imagination and creativity in the face of intractable environmental challenges.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    ENVS 0401 A Community Engaged Practicum Student Presentations: How Vermont’s Environmental Justice Act informs equitable pathways for addressing community climate, energy, and health needs.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Art vs. the Apocalypse presents "The N Word: Nature, Revisited"

    Join Dr. Carolyn Finney, Artist-in-Residence, Environmental Affairs, for a unique presentation that brings her life in conversation with historic figures and contemporary issues. Central Park birder Christian Cooper. George Floyd. The removal of Confederate Statues. Renaming of institutions. Reparations. Systemic Racism. Finney asks, what’s environment got to do with it? How do we meet this moment? Drawing from her book, Black Faces, White Spaces, her relationships “in the field” and her lived experience, Dr.

    Axinn Center 232

    Open to the Public
  • Art vs. the Apocalypse Arts Workshop

    Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao, Nigeria’s art ambassador to the United Nations, visual artist, filmmaker, architect and author will lead a visual art (painting) workshop as part of the Art vs the Apocalypse event. Alao’s paintings center redemption, peace and love, and lately reflect a long-standing fascination with fireflies. Materials provided. Open to Middlebury College students.

    Please Register Here

    Mahaney Arts Center 221

    Closed to the Public
  • Art vs. the Apocalypse: Fishbowl Symposium

    Join us for a dynamic conversation with guest speakers and community members about how art can reflect, engage, and resist apocalyptic ideas and futures.

    Mahaney Arts Center Seeler Studio Theatre

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Empire of My Fireflies” by Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao, First-Place Winner of the United Nations International Art Competition and Nigeria’s Arts Ambassador to the United Nations and United States.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • The World We Are Dreaming Into Being: Conversations to Cultivate Hope, Possibility, And Action

    What is the world we want to live in? The world we are already living into! How can we cultivate a stronger sense of connection to self, each other and the planet? Curious? Let’s talk! Join Carolyn Finney, Artist-in-Residence, and Sophia Calvi ‘03.5, Director of Programming, Franklin Environmental Center, for the third of three discussions they will host during spring semester.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Advancing Climate Solutions through Venture Capital

    Advancing Climate Solutions through Venture Capital - the vital role of early-stage investment in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement

    Peter Hirsch ‘12, Head of Sustainability at 2150, a climate tech-oriented venture capital firm in London, will return to campus for a conversation moderated by students Kavina Amin ‘24 (Economics and History) and Gianna Palli ‘23.5 (Art History and Economics).

    Dana Auditorium (Sunderland Language Center)

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Highways and Habitats – Road Ecology and Habitat Connectivity in Vermont” by Chris Slesar, Environmental Resources Coordinator, Vermont Agency of Transportation.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • The Scott A. Margolin ’99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs

    The 2023 Scott A. Margolin ‘99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs presents Elizabeth Rush, author of The Quickening: On Motherhood and Antarctica in the Twenty First Century and Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

    On Rising Together: Collective and creative responses to the climate crisis

    Dana Auditorium (Sunderland Language Center)

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Climate Theatre: Stories of Kinship, Community, and Climate Justice” by Theresa May, Faculty of Theatre, Environment and Indigenous Studies at the University of Oregon, and Artistic Director of the EMOS Ecodrama Playwrights Festival.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • The World We Are Dreaming Into Being: Conversations to Cultivate Hope, Possibility, And Action

    What is the world we want to live in? The world we are already living into! How can we cultivate a stronger sense of connection to self, each other and the planet? Curious? Let’s talk! Join Carolyn Finney, Artist-in-Residence, and Sophia Calvi ‘03.5, Director of Programming, Franklin Environmental Center, for the second of three discussions they will host during spring semester. The additional date is April 18.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Climate Action Capacity Project Fellowship Info Session

     Looking to support your climate-related work? Get summer funding, develop skills, work with peers: join us for this info session to learn more and apply to be a Climate Action Fellow! Have an idea you’d like to explore? An unpaid internship you’d like to fund? A desire to supplement and connect your paid internship with a cohort of others working on climate this summer and into the academic year? Learn more in this in-person info session at go/caf.

    2023-2024 Midd Climate Action Fellow Application window: March 6-April 7.

    Axinn Center 219

    Closed to the Public
  • World-Wide Climate Teach-In

    Middlebury joins hundreds of educational institutions around the world (in more than 50 countries and most US states) in the World Wide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on and around March 29, 2023. This will continue ongoing campus-wide conversations and engage students, faculty, and staff as we grapple with a time of planetary crisis and transformation.

    Calendar Announcement

  • Up Next: Exploring Climate Careers

    Climate Change touches everything, but it can be hard to know how to match your interests, skills, and passions up as you consider your career. This two-day UpNext: Climate Careers program seeks to demystify the many existing and developing climate careers and sectors.

    Wilson Hall, McCullough Student Center

    Closed to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Building a Soccer Club driven by Environmental Justice” by Sam Glickman & Patrick Infurna, Co-founders of Vermont Green FC, and Markus Gerke, Visiting Scholar, Department of Sociology, Middlebury College.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • World-Wide Climate Teach-In

    Middlebury joins hundreds of educational institutions around the world (in more than 50 countries and most US states) in the World Wide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on and around March 29, 2023. This will continue ongoing campus-wide conversations and engage students, faculty, and staff as we grapple with a time of planetary crisis and transformation.

    Calendar Announcement

  • World-Wide Climate Teach-In

    Middlebury joins hundreds of educational institutions around the world (in more than 50 countries and most US states) in the World Wide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on and around March 29, 2023. This will continue ongoing campus-wide conversations and engage students, faculty, and staff as we grapple with a time of planetary crisis and transformation.

    Calendar Announcement

  • World-Wide Climate Teach-In

    Middlebury joins hundreds of educational institutions around the world (in more than 50 countries and most US states) in the World Wide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on and around March 29, 2023. This will continue ongoing campus-wide conversations and engage students, faculty, and staff as we grapple with a time of planetary crisis and transformation.

    Calendar Announcement

  • Landscape monitoring: threats and opportunities in a global biodiversity hotspot

    A presentation on landscape ecology, land use change, biodiversity conservation, and ecological restoration in Chile by Dr. Adison Altamirano, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Frontier (UFRO) in Temuco, Chile. This seimnar will be followed by a short reception at 5:15 pm for Dr. Altamirano and his colleague Prof. Alejandro Herrera Aguayo who is also a faculty member at UFRO in Anthropology. Sponsored by the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

  • World-Wide Climate Teach-In

    Middlebury joins hundreds of educational institutions around the world (in more than 50 countries and most US states) in the World Wide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on and around March 29, 2023. This will continue ongoing campus-wide conversations and engage students, faculty, and staff as we grapple with a time of planetary crisis and transformation.

    Calendar Announcement

  • Spring Break Kinetic Art Workshop

    Join the Hearthunder Art Collective to collaborate on a kinetic butterfly art installation in preparation for this spring’s Art vs. Apocalypse events on the roles of art and creative expression in confronting climate change and environmental challenges!

    All materials provided. No experience necessary!

    Mahaney Arts Center 232

    Closed to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics” by Jon D. Erickson, Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy, University of Vermont.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Climate Action Fellowship Virtual Info Session

    STUDENTS: Looking to support your climate-related work? Get summer funding, develop skills, work with peers: join us for this info session to learn more and apply to be a Climate Action Fellow! Have an idea you’d like to explore? An unpaid internship you’d like to fund? A desire to supplement and connect your paid internship with a cohort of others working on climate this summer and into the academic year? Learn more in this virtual info session at go/caf.

    Virtual Middlebury

    Closed to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    MIDD-ES CORE PANEL DISCUSSION: Restoration

    Mez Baker-Medard, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
    Kathryn Morse, John C. Elder Professor of Environmental Studies, and
    Professor of History
    Alexis Mychajliw, Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • A Big Step Forward on Climate; Many More Needed

    Representative Sean Casten ‘93 (IL-06) will visit campus virtually for a conversation about next steps for the U.S. in combating the climate crisis, moderated by students Mariia Dzholos ‘24 (Economics major) and Jack Torpey ‘24 (English major/Film & Media Culture minor).

    Dana Auditorium (Sunderland Language Center)

    Open to the Public
  • The World We Are Dreaming Into Being: Conversations to Cultivate Hope, Possibility, And Action Continue!

    What is the world we want to live in? The world we are already living into! How can we cultivate a stronger sense of connection to self, each other and the planet? Curious? Let’s talk! Join Carolyn Finney, Artist-in-Residence, and Sophia Calvi ‘03.5, Director of Programming, Franklin Environmental Center, for the first of three discussions they will host during spring semester. The additional dates are March 14 and April 18.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Author Talk by Abe Streep '04 about Brothers on Three

    Award-winning journalist Abe Streep (‘04) will be in conversation with esteemed sports writer, Alexander Wolff to discuss his first book, Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana (Celadon Books, 2021). The book follows the boys basketball team from Arlee High School as they defend their state championship. Streep reports on the place of basketball in the lives of members of the Flathead Reservation’s Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Inside the Nicaraguan Agroecology Movement: History and lessons of internationalism and anti-imperial movements

    Join Yorlis Gabriela Luna, a representative of the Farmworkers’ Association of Nicaragua (Asociación de Trabajadores del Campo - ATC) and the Latin American Institute of Agroecology (IALA Ixem Ulew,) to take a closer look at the agroecology and food sovereignty movement in Nicaragua. Together we’ll discuss the role of Sandinismo and peasant revolutionary thought in Nicaragua, solidarity and transnationalism in agroecology movements, and how it all applies to the Vermont context.

    Virtual Middlebury

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Defending Conserved Land: The Challenge of Data Centers and Energy Infrastructure” by Christopher G. Miller, President, The Piedmont Environmental Council.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Environmental Studies Senior Thesis Presentation

    “The Environmental Impacts of Waste and Fashion at the Turn of the Century Using The House of Mirth as Focal Text” an Environmental Studies senior thesis presentation by Eva Kaiden ‘23, Environmental Literature major.

    This paper uses Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth to set the scene of high society at the time, as well as to delve into concrete example of how waste – fashion waste, energy waste, and the waste of human lives – played an active role in the shaping of community and quality of life in New York City, especially for women.

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 220

    Open to the Public
  • Art / Apocalypse: Workshop with Hearthunder Art Collective

    Join the Hearthunder Art Collective to collaborate on a butterfly art installation in preparation for this spring’s Art vs. Apocalypse events on the roles of art and creative expression in confronting climate change and environmental challenges!

    All materials provided. No experience necessary!

    The Bunker / Makerspace (FIC 121)

    Closed to the Public
  • Art / Apocalypse: Workshop with Hearthunder Art Collective

    Join the Hearthunder Art Collective to collaborate on a butterfly art installation in preparation for this spring’s Art vs. Apocalypse events on the roles of art and creative expression in confronting climate change and environmental challenges!

    All materials provided. No experience necessary!

    The Bunker / Makerspace (FIC 121)

    Closed to the Public
  • Students Talk Food: politics, climate resilience, health, community

    Join graduating Midd students as they share their stories of finding their way to intersecting work on farms and food systems, climate change, justice, and resilience.

    Bring your curiosity and your experiences!

    Co-sponsored by the Climate Action Capacity Project.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Closed to the Public
  • Environmental Studies Thesis Presentation

    “Community-Based Coral Reef Restoration Monitoring in the Caribbean”

    An Environmental Studies Program senior thesis presentation by Elizabeth Grace Kroger ’22.5, Conservation Biology (ES-BIOL joint) major.

    McCardell Bicentennial Hall 219

    Open to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Reading and Writing Climate” by Megan Mayhew-Bergman, Assistant Professor of English.

    Assistant Professor of English Megan Mayhew-Bergman will read from her new book, How Strange a Season, and talk about how she navigates writing both climate fiction and climate journalism. She’ll discuss how she finds material, conducts field work, and decides what content becomes fiction and what becomes journalism. Megan will leave a significant period of time open for student questions on how to break into these fields and build a writing career.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Climate/Environment Coordinating Group

    Groups from across campus working on climate / justice / environment efforts will gather to discuss priorities, plans, needs, and opportunities to collaborate.

    Axinn Center 229

    Closed to the Public
  • Addison County Greenhouse Gas Inventory

    Richard Hopkins and Duncan Kreps ‘23 present an update to the Climate Economy Action Center’s biannual greenhouse gas inventory, and describe actions being taken (and that one can join) to reduce our county’s production of greenhouse gases.

    Axinn Center 229

    Open to the Public
  • The world we are dreaming into being: Conversations to cultivate hope, possibility and action

    What is the world we want to live in? The world we are already living into! How can we cultivate a stronger sense of connection to self, each other and the planet? Curious?! Join Carolyn Finney, Artist-in-Residence, and Sophia Calvi ‘03.5, Director of Programming, Franklin Env Center, for the first of three discussions they will host during fall semester. The additional dates are Oct. 18 and Nov. 29.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Storytelling for Change: Public Narrative, Personal Stories

    How can our personal stories empower action and affect change? What stories do we tell ourselves, and how can they motivate ourselves and others? Join community organizer Connor Wertz (‘22) to reflect on the power of individual storytelling, practice developing our own narratives, and listen to his experience using storytelling to organize Vermonters to build a climate justice movement.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Closed to the Public
  • Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium Series

    “Community, as an Ecosystem, for Liberation” a colloquium talk by Liv Peña, Vice Chair of the Vermont Releaf Collective Board and Samantha Langevin, Network Manager for the Vermont Releaf Collective.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public