Experts, artists presenting at Appalachian sustainability showcase

The Write Your Story in (Blue + Gold = Green) Sustainability Showcase is giving experts the opportunity to talk about the effects of climate change in southern Appalachia.

The April 9 event will feature presentations from experts, musicians, authors and artists with a special interest in climate change and environmental sustainability.

Fred Gordon, the director of the Master of Public Administration Program at East Tennessee State University, is one of those presenters.

Fred Gordon will present his book at the event. Photo contributed.

Gordon recently wrote a book entitled “The Damming of the Presidency: How Environmental Factors Impact a Political Campaign.” Gordon’s book focuses on environmental disasters and the response of politicians, and how that response affects the public view of them and their political campaigns.

“It takes another look at leaders, especially during crisis time, especially during today's time, and what are the standards that the executive office of the president should be held up to,” said Gordon.

Gordon will be talking about the findings of his book during the event.

“As a whole, I hope current students, future students, other scholars will be able to use it, to learn from it, build upon it, but that it’ll be an important contribution to academic scholarly public policy fields,” said Gordon.

Jason Davis, a musician and environmental educator, will also be presenting and performing at the event.

Jason Davis will present during the showcase. Photo contributed.

Davis is the director of the Climate Stories Project, which gives people an opportunity to share information about climate change through storytelling and videos.

“I was looking for a way to express climate change through music, so I decided to start using people’s personal narrative about their experience with climate change in their own home area and recording their voices,” said Davis.

Davis plans to present the Climate Stories Project at the event, and the art he is creating as a result.

“Music is a really effective way to communicate, so I hope that by putting it in that context people will feel more empathy for the speakers and also just relate to the concert of a climate story more directly than they would by just reading it,” said Davis.

Other presenters include Audrey Depelteau, the director of the ETSU Innovation Lab and ETSU professors Mimi Perreault and Wesley Wehde. Musicians Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road and Jacob Smith Quartet will perform during the event.

ETSU President Brian Noland will give a short statement via pre-recorded video, and an environmental dance video by ETSU professor Cara Harker will be presented.

Clips from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival and ETSU student Ben Gilliam’s mini-documentary, entitled “100,000 Beating Wings: Bees and the People Who Keep Them,” will be shown.

The Write Your Story (Blue + Gold = Green) Sustainability Showcase will take place via Zoom from 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Those attending must pre-register at https://etsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrdeCvqDkjG9DZvDuXxTRO0crmX7Jjk4ei.