Past Events

Film Screening and Panel Discussion

September 15th, 2022 Helen Rosko NEC hosted a fun film screening and panel discussion Sept. 7th! In the Arctic’s Last Ice Area, 500 nautical miles from the North Pole, a scientific team is on a rare mission to measure the world’s oldest ice floes. Tiny specks in a vast ocean wilderness, they are alone. And they’re in trouble. Jumbled slabs…

Listening In Nature Event

November 5th, 2021 Helen Rosko

The Ecology of Genocide

November 3rd, 2021 Helen Rosko
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Graduate Students Symposium ’21

May 19th, 2021 Michelle Sayles FRIDAY, MAY 21 | In-person and remote JOIN REMOTELY HERE IN-PERSON ASEC 303 REGISTER HERE PANEL 1: 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM FOREST LOSS AND GOVERNANCE Deforestation in the Selva Maya - Kass Green Instituting illegal mining: bypasses, political settlements and coercive conservation in the Community of Andean Nations - Giselle Vila Benites Tradescapes in…

Reflecting on the Climate Crisis Through Art

May 14th, 2021 Michelle Sayles FRIDAY, MAY 14 at 4:15 pm | Meet at Red Square Meet at Red Square to walk over to University Park for a relaxed art exploration of connection to place. Painting and drawing supplies will be provided for each participant. We will be creating art based on some guided open interpretation prompts related to climate…

Explore the East-West Trail

May 12th, 2021 Michelle Sayles WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 at 2:00 pm | Meet at Alden Quad, beside Dana Commons Enjoy a hike along the East-West Trail, just a short walk from Clark’s campus! Led by the Worcester Intercollegiate Outdoor Initiative, we will leave from the Alden Quad to explore a 2-3 mile section of the trail. Learn more about the…

Hadwen Arboretum Tour

May 7th, 2021 Michelle Sayles FRIDAY, MAY 7 at 9:00 am | Meet at Red Square This Listening in Nature Week, join the Hadwen Arboretum restoration team to learn more about their ongoing projects concerning tree inventory, temperature monitoring and trail construction. Please meet us at Red Square at 9:00am to walk to the Arboretum. Email Michelle Sayles at msayles@clarku.edu…

East-West Trail Kiosk Unveiling & Hike

May 6th, 2021 Michelle Sayles THURSDAY, MAY 6 at 5:00 pm | Meet at Red Square Join Park Spirit of Worcester and Clark University's Listening In Nature program as we celebrate the completion of twenty-two newly installed directional and informational signs and kiosks along Worcester's 14-mile East-West Trail. They feature maps of the trail and colorful narratives highlighting the past…

What happened to the bees?

May 5th, 2021 Michelle Sayles Documentary screening and Panel WEDNESDAY, MAY 5 at 4:30 pm | In-person screening: Jefferson 320 Zoom link: HERE This documentary, ¿Qué les pasó a las abejas? unmasks the privileges of transnational corporations and shows the effects of capitalism on the social and ecological structures of indigenous communities in Mexico. The struggle of Mayan communities reveals…

Community Campfire

May 5th, 2021 Michelle Sayles WEDNESDAY, MAY 5 at 6:00 pm | Goddard Grove This Listening in Nature Week, Goddard Library’s Head of Public Services, Rachael Shea, invites you to this sacred fire gathering in the Goddard Grove. This event is organized as part of Listening in Nature Week. Please be sure to pre-register for our events here so that…

Nature Meditation & Reflective Drawing

May 4th, 2021 Michelle Sayles TUESDAY, MAY 4 at 5:00 pm | University Park This Listening in Nature Week, join Erica, director of wellness education, and Isabelle, Wellness Ambassador, in University Park to set aside some time to be present, connected, and creative in nature. You will be led through a guided meditation and then we’ll hold space to deepen…

Bat Observation at Coes Pond

May 3rd, 2021 Michelle Sayles MONDAY, MAY 3 at 7:00 pm | Meet at Red Square Join Professor Morgan Ruelle and Evan Collins for a sunset bat detection outing at Coes Pond. This event is organized as part of Listening in Nature Week. Please be sure to pre-register for our events here so that we can ensure COVID safety.

Ethical Sourcing in Jewelry

April 29th, 2021 Michelle Sayles Metals, Diamonds and Gemstones THURSDAY, APRIL 29 at 12:00 pm | Zoom A talk and conversation with Anna Bario, Co-Founder and Designer, BarioNeal A look at traceable, responsible materials from small-scale mining and recycled goods in the jewelry sector, and areas for greatest impact from a jeweler's perspective. Join us on Zoom here. Co-sponsored by…

Making place-based sustainability initiatives visible in the Brazilian Amazon

April 12th, 2021 Michelle Sayles A special lecture and conversation with Dr. Eduardo Brondizio MONDAY, APRIL 12 at 10:00 am | Zoom Dr. Eduardo Brondizio is Distinguished Professor of anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington, where he directs the Center for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Landscapes. He has served on numerous international scientific bodies, including as…

T’áá hwó ají t’éego and the end of the Navajo coal industry

March 19th, 2021 Michelle Sayles FRIDAY, MARCH 26 at 4:00 pm Dr. Andrew Curley joins us for a discussion of coal, power, and contestation in the Navajo Nation. In 2021 the Navajo Generating Station, a long-standing symbol of coal energy in the southwest, was demolished. The power plant ended operations the previous year, which signaled the end of coal mining…

Gather

November 19th, 2020 Michelle Sayles Film screening and panel discussion THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 at 7:30 pm | Jeff 320 and Zoom Gather follows the stories of Indigenous Americans on the frontlines of a growing movement to re connect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide. An indigenous chef embarks on a ambitious project to reclaim ancient food…

A Syndemic 400 Years in the Making

November 12th, 2020 Michelle Sayles Toxic Racism, Pollution, Climate, and Viruses with Dr. Sacoby Wilson THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 at 12:00 pm | Zoom In the United States, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have been impacted by systemic racism and structured inequalities since the founding of this country.  Communities of color do not have just access to good quality…

The Climate Crisis and the 2020 Election

October 29th, 2020 Michelle Sayles THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 at 7:00 pm | Zoom American voters are more concerned about the effects of climate change today than ever before, and a majority of Americans believe that the federal government is doing too little to address it. Extreme weather events over the past year – including tornadoes and rain in the Midwest,…

Vulnerability and resilience: what is our role?

October 28th, 2020 Michelle Sayles A student-faculty dialogue on the intersections between racial, climate, and food justice WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 at 3:00 pm | Zoom Join us in this student-led event to explore the intersections between racial justice, climate justice, and food justice! We will discuss how these topics connect to the realities of our university and community, and what…

Fly Me to the Moon

October 16th, 2020 Michelle Sayles Jamaica and the Global Aluminum Industry. How the Periphery Makes the Center Possible FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 4 p.m. |  Zoom As part of the so called Third World, The Developing World, a place like Jamaica is considered peripheral to the centers of wealth, power and modern civilization. In this talk, Figueroa will argue that…

Farming While Black

October 14th, 2020 Michelle Sayles African Diasporic Wisdom for Farming and Food Justice WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 at 4:00 pm Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm joins us for a public talk on her work to end racism in the food system. This talk will be followed by a panel discussion with Steve Fischer and Stacie Brimmage from the Regional Environmental…

Resource Radicals

October 2nd, 2020 Michelle Sayles From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 4:00 pm |  Zoom Resource Radicals unpacks the conflict between two leftisms: the administration's resource nationalism and the antiextractivism of grassroots activists. In this archival and ethnographic study, Riofrancos demonstrates how Ecuador's commodity-dependent economy and history of indigenous uprisings offer a unique opportunity to understand…

Extractives and GIS

September 25th, 2020 Michelle Sayles Solar Panel Fields and Forest Loss in Massachusetts/ Uganda-Tanga Crude Oil Pipeline Potential Impact FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at 4:00 pm | Zoom Join Professor John Rogan in this presentation about the application of GIS and remote sensing to assess the actual and potential impacts of extractive industries on habitat and human livelihoods. Join here via…

Hadwen Arboretum Tour

September 25th, 2020 Michelle Sayles FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at 9:00 am | Meet at Red Square Join the Hadwen Arboretum restoration team to learn more about their ongoing projects concerning tree inventory, temperature monitoring and trail construction. Please meet us at Red Square at 9:00am to walk to the Arboretum. Email Michelle Sayles at msayles@clarku.edu to register. Learn more about the…

Soundscape Tours of Main South

September 24th, 2020 Michelle Sayles THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 at 4:30pm | Meet at Red Square How can we proceed as activists, artists, social scientists, researchers, naturalists, chroniclers, environmentalists, and engaged citizens to better understand and respond actively to the sounds of our environment? Following on Norman Long’s lecture on this topic (How Soundwalks Engage Communities on Monday, September 21 @…

Thoreau and the Environment

September 23rd, 2020 Michelle Sayles WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 at 1:00 pm | Zoom Hosted by the Walden Woods Project As part of Listening in Nature Week, Jeffrey Cramer joins us to share Thoreau’s legacy as citizen scientist, naturalist, and environmentalist. He will introduce some mindful listening practices, inspired by Thoreau, to help us live more deliberately, compassionately, and peacefully. The…

Listening in Nature Week

September 21st, 2020 Michelle Sayles SEPTEMBER 21 to 25  | around campus, with offerings online At the heart of A new Earth conversation, the Listening in Nature program embodies our understanding that practices of slowing down, listening, becoming observant and available, and awakening to the magic of living ecosystems are vitally important as we navigate the realities of a warming world. We…

How do soundwalks engage communities?

September 21st, 2020 Michelle Sayles What is a soundwalk? How can we ( as artists, social scientists, researchers, naturalists, chroniclers, environmentalists, and critical citizens) actively respond to our soundscape, connecting it with global concerns for a better world? In this talk, composer and scholar Norman Long will prepare participants for an actual soundwalk through the Main South neighborhood as part…

Collaborative Launch

August 26th, 2020 Michelle Sayles WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th at 4:00pm & THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th at 12:00pm | Zoom Incoming NEC Collaborative course students and faculty are invited to our fall orientation to A new Earth conversation. This is an opportunity to meet other Collaborative students, learn more about what makes a Collaborative course distinct and become introduced to the process…

Ecopoetics with Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers

February 24th, 2020 Michelle Sayles MONDAY, February 24th Workshop | 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Anderson House, Leir 1 *RSVP required. Email Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez at mgutmanngonzalez@clarku.edu to register. Poetry Reading | 4:30pm, Fireside Lounge, Dana Commons In her newest release, The Tilt Torn Away From the Seasons, Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers imagines a human mission to Mars, a consequence of our…

Sacred Instructions

February 13th, 2020 Michelle Sayles Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change THURS February 13  | Higgins Lounge Drawing from the ancestral knowledge of her Indigenous roots, and her experience as an attorney and activist, Sherri Mitchell addresses some of the most critical issues of our day. Mitchell’s teachings provide a road map for the spirit and a compass of compassion…

Decolonizing our Hearts, Minds, and Movements

February 12th, 2020 Michelle Sayles WED February 12  | Traina Center for the Arts This one-day workshop with Sherri Mitchell offers a glimpse into the work required to decolonize our hearts and minds. Participants will gain an understanding of how colonization has impacted our thinking and the ways that we engage one another and the world around us. We will…

The Uncertain Human Future

February 11th, 2020 Michelle Sayles A participatory exhibit | Traina Center for the Arts, Second Floor Gallery OPENING | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11th at 5:00pm EXHIBIT | FEBRUARY 10th to MARCH 27th In the Council on the Uncertain Human Future, we look deeply into the climate and ecological breakdown underway. This exhibition showcases material from the Council archives and invites a…

Collaborative Launch

January 15th, 2020 Michelle Sayles WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15th at 4:00pm | Higgins Lounge A new Earth conversation welcomes in our new cohort of Collaborative students at our Collaborative Launch event on Wednesday, January 15th from 4:00 - 5:30pm in the Higgins Lounge. For the 180 new Collaborative students this spring, this is an opportunity to learn about NEC and the…

The Big Thaw

November 6th, 2019 NEC Admin WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 at 7:00pm | Grace Conference Room, Higgins University Center Permafrost—permanently frozen ground that lies under tundra and boreal forests across the Arctic--covers more than 12 percent of the earth’s land.  In The Big Thaw, readers meet scientists and students who have been studying the permafrost and what it contains: a vast store of…

Genocide. Ecocide. Climate Catastrophe.

October 23rd, 2019 NEC Admin A conversation with Christian Parenti and Roy Scranton WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 at 4:30 pm | Jefferson Hall 320 Speakers: Christian Parenti (author, journalist and Associate Professor of Economics, John Jay College) and Roy Scranton (author and Assistant Professor of English, University of Notre Dame) A powerful shift in American collective awareness of the climate crisis has occurred thanks to scientific reports released…

Voices from the Mine

October 21st, 2019 NEC Admin MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 at 6:00pm | Fireside Lounge, Dana Commons Diamond mining is Sierra Leone’s most lucrative export industry, with an annual production of up to $US 250 million. Due to the challenges associated with the informal and unregulated nature of the artisanal mining sector, only a fraction of this wealth returns to the areas where…

Listening in Nature Day

October 3rd, 2019 Michelle Sayles Wednesday, October 16th, all day | Campus-wide Join us for a day of Listening in Nature, a program of A new Earth conversation (NEC). On Wednesday, October 16th we invite the campus community to slow down, listen, observe and awaken to the magic of living ecosystems. Throughout the day there will be opportunities for exploring…

Climate Emergency Teach-In

September 27th, 2019 NEC Admin RSVP on Facebook As part of the Global Climate Emergency Action Week, this day-long event is open to the community as a space of discussion on the climate crisis and reflection on the steps we can take to act for climate justice. Here is the schedule for the day: Main Sessions (Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons)…

Worcester Youth Climate Strike

September 20th, 2019 NEC Admin Join us on September 20th in Worcester, MA for Youth Climate Strike’s call to action to fight against the #climatecrisis. Following the lead of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, thousands of young people and adult allies will gather in Worcester this September to kick off a week of climate action! More information on our Facebook event.…

Listening in Nature

April 17th, 2019 NEC Admin Wednesday, April 17th, all day | Campus-wide Join us for the launch of Listening in Nature, a program of A new Earth conversation (NEC). On Wednesday, April 17th we invite the campus community to slow down, listen, observe and awaken to the magic of living ecosystems. Throughout the day there will be opportunities for exploring…

Tim DeChristopher and Susi Moser in Conversation

April 4th, 2019 NEC Admin Given what we know, how do we live now? Tim DeChristopher and Susi Moser in Conversation Climate activist and NEC Visiting Fellow Tim DeChristopher and leading climate communications expert Susi Moser (Clark Geography PhD 1997) will continue exploring the question of how we live with what we know about the climate crisis, and open the…

Tim DeChristopher and Terry Tempest Williams in conversation

March 28th, 2019 NEC Admin Given what we know, how do we live now? Tim DeChristopher and Terry Tempest Williams in conversation Climate activist and NEC Visiting Fellow Tim DeChristopher and renowned writer, conservationist and activist Terry Tempest Williams will ask how we live with what we know about the climate crisis, and open the conversation to the audience as…

On Infertile Ground

February 28th, 2019 NEC Admin Population Control and Women’s Rights in the Era of Climate Change Jade Sasser, Associate Professor, University of California, Riverside Jade Sasser explores how a small network of international development actors, including private donors, NGO program managers, scientists, and youth advocates, is bringing population back to the center of public environmental debate. Tuesday March 26 at…

Cohabiting with the devil

February 20th, 2019 NEC Admin Extractive industries, climate change and the struggle to live well  A conversation with Tony Bebbington, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, John Rogan and Laura Sauls How do people cohabit with extractive industries, especially in Latin America and Indonesia? We will discuss the pressures that resource extraction is placing on forests and community rights as well as some of the ways in…

Listening for Signal / The World We Wish To See

November 29th, 2018 NEC Admin FILM & CONVERSATION SERIES Listening for Signal (2016) This short documentary, filmed in northern New Mexico,  immerses us in conversation with members of theCouncil on the Uncertain Human Future on how we wish to conduct ourselves in the face of climate change. The World We Wish To See (2018) The launch of a new short film on a Council held…

A Call to Life | Variations on a Theme of Extinction

November 2nd, 2018 NEC Admin A Call to Life Variations on a Theme of Extinction Kathleen Dean Moore and Rachelle McCabe A powerful call to action on global warming and mass extinction, A Call to Life is a collaboration between concert pianist Rachell McCabe and writer/philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore. McCabe performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme from Corelli while Moore weaves words between the variations, giving voice to humanity’s…

How to let go of the world

October 25th, 2018 NEC Admin How to let go of the world  and love all the things climate can't change  Filmmaker Josh Fox visits twelve countries as he investigates climate change, and acknowledges that it may be too late to stop some of the worst consequences; if so, what is it that climate change can't destroy? Tim DeChristopher, climate activist…

All Together Now

September 29th, 2018 NEC Admin September 29, 2018 at Clark University politics, economy, social justice and the climate on Earth A day of conversations between all members of the community on questions related to our current challenges (including those of politics, the economy, white supremacy, and climate change), how they fit together and how we can address them holistically. alltogethernow.newearthconversation.org…

I Am Not Your Negro

September 28th, 2018 NEC Admin FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th at 7pm | Fireside Lounge EVENT LAUNCH FILM  I Am Not Your Negro A searing indictment of prejudice and hatred in America, guided by the words of the late, great James Baldwin. We will hold small dialogue circles following the film.

Erica Mackie on Building an Equitable Solar Economy

November 14th, 2017 NEC Admin On Tuesday, November 14th at 7pm, GRID Alternatives CEO Erica Mackie gave a talk entitled "One Rooftop at a Time: Building an Equitable Solar Economy." Erica Mackie co-founded GRID Alternatives in 2001 and as CEO has helped develop it into a major national nonprofit that makes solar technology and job training accessible to underserved communities.…

Jacqueline Patterson on Upholding the Beloved Community

October 24th, 2017 NEC Admin On Tuesday, October 24th, Jacqueline Patterson spoke about her work advancing environmental and climate justice in a talk entitled "Upholding the Beloved Community: Advancing a Just Transition to a Sustainable Planet." Jacqueline Patterson is the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. As a researcher, program manager, coordinator, advocate and activist, she has…

Forget Paris? The Climate Accord After U.S. Withdrawal

September 13th, 2017 NEC Admin On Wednesday, September 13th, a Clark faculty panel shared their perspectives on the state of the Paris Climate Accord following the withdrawal of the United States. The panel included Ed Carr (IDCE), Chris Williams (Georgraphy), and Chuck Agosta (Physics), and was facilitated by Deb Roberston (Biology).

Camille Seaman Speaks on Standing Rock

March 22nd, 2017 NEC Admin https://youtu.be/4h90tb8Ujeg On Wednesday, March 22, photographer and national Council member Camille Seaman shared thoughts from her time at Standing Rock, North Dakota as a part of the indigenous resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. A full recording of her presentation can be viewed above. The event was held at Clark University and was sponsored by…

Climate Change Teach-In 2016

March 23rd, 2016 NEC Admin The second Climate Change Teach-in at Clark was held on March 23, 2016. Over five hundred members of the community participated in 45 sessions organized in three sessions around the questions: What is changing and why? How do we choose to respond? What’s next? A keynote talk by Naomi Klein in late February led off…

Naomi Klein gives Teach-in Keynote

February 26th, 2016 NEC Admin This Changes Everything Capitalism v. the Climate Naomi Klein, author, journalist and activist February 26, 2016 A Presidential Lecture For Naomi Klein, the climate crisis challenges us to abandon the free market ideology of our time, restructure the global economy, and remake our political systems. Either we embrace radical change ourselves or radical changes will…

Climate Change Teach-In 2015

March 26th, 2015 NEC Admin Climate chaos is and will increasingly alter our world. The changes taking place in the Earth’s biosphere are re-defining the human future in ways we are only beginning to fathom; business as usual is no longer possible. How might we at Clark respond in our educational commitments and as a community? The Teach-in is an opportunity to better understand this crisis collectively,…