As part of Colorado State University’s Earth Month celebration, President Joyce McConnell is sharing a special virtual conversation with University Distinguished Professor Diana H. Wall, a world-renowned ecologist and director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability.
The recorded talk, part of the Tell Me More conversation series, premiered April 21 at president.colostate.edu/tell-me-more. The two discuss Wall’s work, her vision for the future of sustainability, and how CSU’s long commitment to sustainability is important to its land-grant mission.
“I hope you’ll tune into my conversation with Dr. Diana Wall because I believe you’ll come away inspired – not by any false optimism or promises of easy fixes to the challenges of climate change,” McConnell said in an April 19 email to the CSU community. “No, what is so inspiring about Diana, and about the many, many people at CSU who devote countless hours and immeasurable energy to sustainability initiatives, curriculum, programs and actions, is the force of their determination to do something, take action, and make an impact, even when those things seem incredibly hard.”
Launched in Fall 2020, Tell Me More is a regular series of one-on-one interviews hosted by McConnell that highlight research, equity, student success, community engagement and sustainability at CSU. Past interviews have included award-winning author Claudia Rankine and CSU English Professor Camille Dungy, and Provost and Executive Vice President Mary Pedersen, among others.
Experience Earth Month
Get the latest information on Earth Month and all of the events and activities at green.colostate.edu/earth-month.
Earth Day events at CSU
For Earth Day on April 22, CSU is hosting a variety of fun, interactive sustainability challenges and information about student organizations, CSU departments and colleges, and Fort Collins community sustainability programs and initiatives.
Events include the Eco Leaders Independent Project Showcase in which people can browse the Eco Leaders’ peer education spring semester independent projects. More information can be found at housing.colostate.edu/about/sustainability/eco-leaders-program/#showcase.
Additionally, there will be a live Zoom session on “Why I Love Biking in FoCo: A Virtual Earth Week Discussion” on at 5 p.m. The panel discussion features Dave Dixon, executive director of Bike Fort Collins, and Ed Weschler, a graduating senior who is a mechanic at The Spoke.
The talk, moderated by Erika Benti of CSU Parking and Transportation Services, will offer a glimpse into the panelists’ favorite routes and destinations around town, bike advocacy and education opportunities and tips for inexpensive bike repairs.
More information on all Earth Day activities is available at green.colostate.edu/earth-month.
Additional events
Since the start of Earth Month, organizers have added two new videos — one on the “seed to table” process of the student-grown lettuce at the Horticulture Center arriving in residential dining centers on campus, and another on CSU becoming an official Arboretum, highlighting a few of the special trees on campus for Arbor Day. The videos are available on the Earth Month website.
Additionally, a new webinar — Transforming Tragedies: Case Studies of Sustainable Peacebuilding — is scheduled for Friday, April 23, at 2 p.m. on Zoom. Participants will learn how sustainable peacebuilding can help communities and foster change in destructive attitudes toward the natural world.
Also on April 23, CSU will be hosting a compost giveaway in the Moby Arena Parking Lot from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested must bring their own shovel and wear a mask. Compost is limited to two, 5-gallon buckets, and individuals are asked to stay in their vehicles until their turn to retrieve compost.
To round out the month, there will be a Zoom session on Thursday, April 29, at noon on “Leading Innovation in Sustainability,” which closes out three days of CSU Demo Day by showcasing a diverse set of panel members that exemplify the strategic and far-reaching efforts CSU undertakes to make innovative and effective strides in sustainability.
Carol Dollard of Facilities Management, who co-chairs the President’s Sustainability Commission with Student Affairs Communications and Sustainability Director Tonie Miyamoto, said this year’s events celebrate the accomplishments of CSU as well as look to the future.
“Earth Month activities give us an opportunity to show off great work happening all across campus,” Dollard said. “While we are always striving to ‘up our game,’ it is good to take the opportunity to look back and see all the great stuff that is already underway.”
More information on all of the Earth Month events and activities can be found at green.colostate.edu/earth-month.
