Climate Emergency: Spring into Action 2024
Past Events and Recordings
Monday, January 15, 2024
Connecting Passion and Purpose: Working Together to Create Climate Resilient Communities
Seminar: Dr. Cybelle Shattuck, WMU School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability
This MLK Day session will describe some of the economic and health challenges that are being exacerbated by the climate crisis, and the choice between a path toward increasing chaos or toward creation of climate resilient communities that center justice and wellness.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Climate Change in the Great Lakes: Past and Future Dr. Dave Karowe, WMU Biological Sciences
We’ll start by briefly describing how the climate of the Great Lakes Region has changed over the past 100 years, then focus on the future. We’ll finish by describing some of the things we can do today to make a better future more likely.
Movie Night "En el Nombre del Litio"
WMU Spanish Club - The film explores the community "El Moreno", in Salinas Grandes, Jujuy, where more than 30 indigenous communities struggle to prevent the imminent arrival of multinational mining companies to extract lithium, the new white gold.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Climate Targets: Truths, Deceptions and Uncertainties
Dr. Paul Clements, WMU Political Science.
Why is climate chaos winning? From where we stand today, what would global climate justice look like, and how could we possibly get there? This talk advances several perspectives on climate targets and the politics of effective climate action.
Movie Night "Global Social" showing of "Before the Flood"
Join the Global Engagement Program "Global Social" to watch and discuss the film "Before the Flood."
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Book Club Discussion - "Five Times Faster"
We need to act five times faster to avoid dangerous climate change. This provocative and engaging book sets out how we should rethink our strategies and reorganize our efforts in the fields of science, economics, and diplomacy, so that we can act fast enough to stay safe.
Movie Night "Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy"
Hosted by WMU Interior Design Student Organization
We are screening the movie "Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy" followed by panel discussion with interior designers.
Friday, January 26, 2024
Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Kalamazoo
Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the City of Kalamazoo, with Justin Gish, Sustainability Planner, City of Kalamazoo.
Climate Emergency: Spring into Action 2024 on Critical Issues, Alternative Views
"Critical Issues, Alternative Views" is a local television program that analyzes the most important social and political problems confronting the global community today from alternative, progressive perspectives that are not often presented in conventional media outlets. Critical Issues, Alternative Views can also be accessed directly on the Public Media Network website.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Communicating about Climate Change: Basic Skills for Productive Climate Communication
This will be a fun and practical session focused on learning to communicate about climate change in everyday life.
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Climate Change Effects on Food Prices in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia's climate has become warmer, wetter, and more unpredictable, these changes in weather conditions have had a significant impact on the cost of food production, both in terms of absolute levels and in terms of increased food price volatility.
Friday, February 2, 2024
Tea Making
Discover the art of tea making as you navigate the process of washing, drying, and arranging herbs in the dehydrator, or opt for pre-dried herbs to concoct personalized tea blends.
Sustainability in Circle
The Student Climate Mental Health Network invites you to "Sustainability in Circle", an exploration of wellness through connection with the earth.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Pedal the Blender: Presented by the 2023 Medallion Scholars
Make your own fruit smoothie using a bike generator! Join us on a demonstration of clean energy while discovering more about sustainability and upcoming campus activities regarding climate change.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Clothing Drive: Reducing Waste to Impact Climate Change
We will discuss how reusing clothing can help reduce the impact of the fashion industry on the changing climate.
Energy at WMU: Past, Present, and Future
Zach and WMU Director of the Office for Sustainability, Jeff Spoelstra, will discuss WMU's efforts to reduce energy use and plan for the future.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Build Your Own Plant-based Snack Box
Join the Nutrition & Dietetics Graduate Students to learn more about plant based eating and make a snack box.
Friday, February 9, 2024
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
This Fridays for Future event is part of an ongoing series hosted by the Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition.
Monday, February 12, 2024
Prospects for Solar Geoengineering
Professor Douglas MacMartin, Cornell University, will speak about geoengineering possibilities for reducing global warming despite increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
New BroncoBike Assembly & Information Tabling
Office for Sustainability: BroncoBikes, bike mechanics & communication team
The Office for Sustainability bike mechanics and communication team will be stopping by the Student Center to assemble the new BroncoBikes for the Spring 2024 semester and spread the word of the Office for Sustainability's presence/existence on campus. The idea is to attract students to the available BroncoBike program, inform students of more sustainable methods for commuting to campus, and for students that currently bike, learn maintenance tips and tricks.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Farming with Nature
Seminar at Lee Honors College: Kirsten Clemente, Farm Director at the Kalamazoo Nature Center
Students Envision the Climate Future Using Artificial Intelligence
Overview - A creative writing effort by students in Dr. Allen Webb's class.
Friday, February 23, 2024
En-ROADS Global Climate Simulator
Virtual (Zoom) - EN-ROADS Global Climate Simulator/Policy Solutions Simulator, with Deb Freiman This Fridays for Future event is part of an ongoing series hosted by the Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition.
Upcycling to No-sew Bags
Upcycling breathes new life into items, transforming thrifted t-shirts or fabrics into stylish bags. Utilizing a simple, no-sew technique, participants can easily create these bags and then express their creativity by decorating them. In addition to enjoying the crafting process, attendees will gain insights into the environmental consequences of purchasing new clothing and the importance of advocating for the reuse and upcycling of materials.
Monday, February 26, 2024
Nature's Best Hope
Virtual Presentation by and Discussion with Doug Tallamy - University of Delaware
Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Choosing the right plants for our landscapes will not only address the biodiversity crisis but help fight our climate crisis as well. Tallamy discusses simple steps that each of us can -and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity, why we must change our adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one, and why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope. Co-sponsored by the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
How We Study California's History of Drought, Floods, Fire, and Vegetation: What the Past Can Tell Us About the Future
Lakes accumulate sediment over time and record processes occurring within and around the lake basin. Using a variety of physical, chemical, and biological analyses, we can use these lake sediments to reconstruct past climate for a region including droughts, pluvials, floods, and fire. Professor Kirby will discuss the science of paleolimnology with a focus on the past 32,000 years of California's climate history.
Friday, March 8 , 2024
Western Student Association, Climate Leadership
Virtual (Zoom) Western Student Association, Climate Leadership - with Alison Martin, WSA Director of Sustainability.
This Fridays for Future event is part of an ongoing series hosted by the Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
The Politics of Climate Change in 2024
Seminar at Lee Honors College: Dr. Ron Kramer, WMU Sociology
This will assess the COP 28 meeting and what it means for domestic politics relating to the climate emergency in the election year of 2024.
A Bipartisan Conversation About Community Solar
Sponsored by the Michigan and Kalamazoo Chapters of Citizens' Climate Lobby and the Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition
Participate in a conversation between Michigan State Senators Irwin and McBroom, who have championed legislation to establish community solar in Michigan.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Learning to Fight the Climate Crisis
Dr. Susan Schneider, WMU Psychology
The technology to solve the climate crisis has been available for years. This is a behavioral challenge. This talk focuses on learning principles like positive reinforcement - more complex than it might seem. We can learn to make green choices; and businesses, school districts, health care systems, and local governments are scaling up these successes.
Friday, March 15, 2024
The Climate Emergency and the 2024 Election on Critical Issues, Alternative Views
This award-winning show is recorded at the Kalamazoo Public Media Network (PMN) and features Western Michigan University professors Don Cooney (School of Social Work), Regena Nelson (Department of Teaching, Learning, and Education Studies), and Ron Kramer (Department of Sociology) as regular panelists.
Guest Panelists: Dr. Denise Keele, Executive Director of the Michigan Climate Action Network; Dr. John Clark, Department of Political Science
Postcard-writing Campaign and Voter Information Session
Student led event by OUTspoken RSO
Participants will learn best practices for finding the names and addresses of the elected officials in their districts and how to register to vote. The group will have an open discussion about climate change facts, including how climate change is affecting our home state of Michigan. Then participants will work in guided break-out groups to write postcards with messages to their elected officials about the importance of addressing climate change through legislation.
Monday, March 18 2024
Watch Party, The Climate Emergency and the 2024 Election
Watch party of broadcast recorded on March 15 of panel discussion hosted by Critical Issues, Alternative Views.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
KBS K-12 Partnership Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Climate Science
Hosted by MSU's Kellogg Biological Station
We invite K-12 teachers and educators to join us for a full day of professional development focused on interdisciplinary methods of teaching climate science and the climate crisis.
Teaching to the Climate Emergency
MSU's Kellogg Biological Station K-12 Teaching Partnership Workshop
Dr. Allan Webb (WMU English Department) will present the plenary talk "Teaching to the Climate Emergency" to open the workshop. In Dr. Webb’s talk he will share interdisciplinary approaches to climate change teaching, connecting critical place based education with more global understanding. He will share a framework for climate crisis teaching which draws on inquiry, justice, and action.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Climate Action Planning in the City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County
Taylor VanWinkle is the Climate Sustainability Coordinator for Kalamazoo County and Justin Gish is the Sustainability Planner for the City of Kalamazoo. They will be discussing the separate efforts of the City and the County and ways in which they can work together to ensure a sustainable future for all residents.
Book Discussion: Nature's Best Hope
Are you interested in mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity? Join Hope for Creation to discuss Doug Tallamy's ideas. We, ourselves, are nature's best hope.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Good Food that is Better for the Environment
Beef production is often cited as a driver of climate change, but Jason Rowntree wants everyone - from beef producers to the public - to learn how it can operate in tandem with nature. Jason Rowntree is an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University and a C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture. Rowntree's research focus is identifying the metrics and management practices that reflect ecological improvements in grazing land systems.
Monday, March 25, 2024
Impacts of Floods on Rural Communities in Pakistan: Evidence from a Field Survey
Lecture by Muhammed Ishtiaq, a Fulbright Scholar and Ph.D. candidate in Applied Economics at WMU
A household survey in rural communities affected by the 2022 floods in Pakistan revealed significant socio-economic repercussions. He will discuss the findings of the survey, exploring the effects of natural disasters in Pakistan.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
"Water is Life:" Indigenous Approaches to Climate Action in Relationship to Mother Earth
This workshop explores the connections between water, the use of fossil fuels, and climate action from indigenous perspectives. Traditional ecological knowledge, culture, relationships, and spirituality inform indigenous responses to the climate crisis. "Water is Life," a declaration of the Standing Rock Movement is a contemporary expression of a long history of intergenerational struggle for environmental justice by Indigenous people.
Seed Paper Cards
Student Workshop: Seed Paper Cards, with Jess S., WMU Student and Office for Sustainability Communication Ambassador Engage with art, sustainability, and native species cultivation. This interactive workshop offers beneficial insights into planting native wildflowers, paired with crafting seed paper cards by using low-impact and recycled materials.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Book Club Discussion - Healing Grounds
In Healing Grounds, Liz Carlisle tells the stories of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian American farmers who are reviving their ancestors' methods of growing food - techniques long suppressed by the industrial food system. These farmers are restoring native prairies, nurturing beneficial fungi, and enriching soil health. While feeding their own communities and revitalizing cultural ties to land, they are steadily stitching ecosystems back together and repairing the natural carbon cycle.
Friday, March 29, 2024
WMU Student Sustainability Summit
The third annual WMU Student Sustainability Summit, hosted by the 2020 Medallion Scholars
The 2024 Student Sustainability Summit encourages student leaders, RSOs, and campus and community members to come together to celebrate their dedication to addressing the climate crisis in the past year. It will also bring together students from across campus to explore shared concerns around the broad theme of climate change from a holistic perspective where interest in the environment, politics, culture, economic, biodiversity,, and social issues intersect.
Monday, April 1, 2024
Students Present on Youth Climate Activists
An opportunity to learn about youth climate activists around the world, youth-oriented climate action organizations, and about the local Fridays for the Future Climate Justice March and Rally on April 19.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Climate Change: Impacts on the Lake Michigan Region and Legal Update
Seminar with Elizabeth (Joy) Guscott-Mueller and David G. Mueller, organized by the League of Women Voters of Kalamazoo area. Come learn about Climate Change and its impact on water resources and the Lake Michigan Region as well as what the future holds for the region as a result of recent court cases and federal legislation.
ReWilding: Climate-Focused Experimental Media-Arts Festival
ReWilding: Climate-Focused Experimental Media-Arts Festival aims to present works and to incubate a community for artists and change-makers taking bold creative risks on climate themes rarely shown in mainstream media. This is a curated screening selected from 253 submissions from 40 countries that is free and open to the public.
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Upcycling and Sustainable Clothing
In this event, participants are invited to bring an old sweater or or shirt that we will use to make two drink koozies. We will also have information about alternative clothing manufacturers that prioritize the climate over speed of production.
Public Meeting Kalamazoo Climate Action and Climate Justice Advocacy Council Meeting
The Kalamazoo County Planning and Development Department will host a public meeting of the Climate Action and Climate Justice Advisory Council.
Movie Night: Together We Cycle
The film investigates the critical events that led to the revival of the Dutch cycling culture. Many people think that cycling in the Netherlands is a natural phenomenon. However, until the 1970s the development of mobility in the Netherlands followed trends across the globe.
Friday, April 5, 2024
Native Wildflower Seed Bombs
Discover the wonders of native plants and their benefits in this informative session about the local flora of Michigan. Engage in a hands-on experience by learning how to create a delightful craft that serves the purpose of dispersing native seeds into vacant grass lots.
Kalamazoo Valley Floodways Symposium: African Heritage
The event is meant to inspire and empower the greater Kalamazoo community to honor its agricultural history and heritage cuisines, celebrate good food, and work together to build a just and healthy future for all.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Mingle into Action: Climate Change Research, Teaching, and Action at WMU
All are welcome to learn about the many ways WMU students and faculty are addressing the climate crisis.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Breathe the Change: Using Mindfulness to Ease Climate Anxiety
Climate anxiety has the potential to evoke fear, dread, depression, and a sense of powerlessness. Mindfulness can be used to increase present-moment awareness of the environment and our interconnection with it. This interactive presentation will include an exploration into the impact of climate anxiety, its racial implications, and transformative practices to promote personal and planetary health.
The State of Dunes: A public forum on the sand dunes of Lake Michigan
Join WMU's School of Environment , Geography, and Sustainability for this special event on the current status of the coastal dunes of West and Southwest Michigan. Four Great Lakes sand dune experts will share the importance of rare dune ecosystems, recent threats to their integrity, and some positive news.
Communicating about Conservation
A collaborative event showcasing conservation subjects and how they are affected by climate change.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
The Climate Crisis and Many Ways of Knowing: Visit to Roots of Wisdom Exhibit
The Roots of Wisdom interactive exhibition explores ecological challenges and the solutions that are informed by native knowledge, practices, and traditions.
Monday, April 15, 2024
E-bike Show and Tell
Several people who have e-bikes will display them and answer questions about getting around in this environmentally friendly fashion.
The Wild World of Prairies
Ellen Badger Hanson will lead a fun and interactive workshop to discuss the importance of integrating native plant species into the landscape for protecting the biodiversity of everything from birds to bacteria and increasing soil carbon storage.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
K College Sustainability Across the Street
Presentation and discussion on sustainability and climate justice at K College and how we can move forward as a community.
Pre-Rally Preparation Poster Party
Meet fellow marchers to make signs/posters to carry during the Earth Week Kickoff March and Rally on April 19.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Earth Week Kickoff March and Rally
Join climate activists from around Kalamazoo in marching to demand #ClimateJusticeNow!
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Book Club Discussion - A Trillion Trees
In A Trillion Trees, veteran environmental journalist Fred Pearce takes readers on a whirlwind journey through some of the most spectacular forests around the world. Along the way, he charts the extraordinary pace of forest destruction, and explores why some are beginning to recover.
© 2023 WMU Climate Change Working Group