On April 9, East Tennessee State University professors and students hosted a sustainability showcase to highlight the effects of climate change in southern Appalachia.
The Write Your Story in (Blue + Gold = Green) Sustainability Showcase featured experts, authors and other artists with an interest in climate change. The event gave participants the opportunity to bring awareness and talk about climate change through their talents and science.
“The climate stories showcase is the culmination of several workshops that were done at ETSU and those were sponsored by the Blue Ridge Project,” said ETSU Professor and showcase organizer Mildred Perreault.
The Blue Ridge Project is a group of faculty and staff at ETSU that give people the opportunity to talk about climate change in an accessible way.
Perreault and Wesley Wehde, another ETSU professor, presented data gathered from a survey the two conducted about participants’ thoughts on climate change in the region. The survey is still ongoing, and those interested can still make their opinions known.
Jason Davis, the showcase’s story guide, performed some of his music and shared information about climate change.
Davis spoke about the different ways we can talk about climate change using art, photography, dance, science and music.
“I got really interested in storytelling as I began this work with Climate Stories Project, and it actually started as a music project really before I was doing any of the story collecting or workshops,” said Davis. “I just was thinking about how I wanted to express climate change through music and what I decided to do.”
Fred Gordon, who works at ETSU as the director of the Master of Public Administration Program, also presented his book, “The Damming of the Presidency: How Environmental Factors Impact a Political Campaign.”
Some other presenters during the showcase were the Jacob Smith Quartet, Cara Harker, ETSU’s Climate Office, student Ben Gilliam and Johnson City Brewing Company's Eric Latham.
Prizes were also given out to participants and spectators.
To participate in the ongoing climate change survey, visit https://etsusociology.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3rqmy3ud8WSOtXD
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