Earth Week 2022

In April 2022, more than 750 Global Futures Scientists and Scholars and 1,300 College of Global Futures students welcomed members of the greater ASU community to honor our planet Earth and the work, research and solutions being developed by them and our global network of partners.

The week of April 18-22 was anchored by a special dedication for the Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health, the new home of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the College of Global Futures, the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation and the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service. The week included presentations, lectures and panels from experts including Jane Goodall, Peter Seligmann, Keith Ladzinski, Susan Goldberg and many other esteemed guests engaging with our faculty and students.

Monday, April 18 | Cool Planet

Come explore the innovations designed to keep global warming from reaching critical levels, knowing that what humans can do to regain balance with their environment is awesome.

• 9 – 10 a.m. – Earth Week Welcome by Peter Schlosser and Firestarter Chat: Can we fix the future by fixing energy?
  An engaging and thought-provoking discussion around how we think about and approach energy in the context of building better futures on a global scale.
  Speakers: Peter Schlosser, Zoya Lytvyn, Andrew Maynard, Jen Richter, Diane Pataki, Manfred Laubichler and Gary Dirks
• 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – “Where’s My Stuff From and Why Does it Matter?”
  Can we fix the future by fixing energy? An engaging and thought-provoking discussion around how we think about and approach energy in the context of building better futures on a global scale.
• 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. – The (In)Sufficiency of the Cool
  This panel will explore the “cool” in two dimensions: First, the aesthetic idea of “cool” as a motivation for exploration and innovation; and second, the instrumental idea of “cool” as a motivation for specific climate interventions that might cool the planet.
  Speakers: David Guston, Christy Jay Wells, Michael Bennett (University of Illinois-Chicago), Heather Douglas (Michigan State University) and Holly Buck (University of Buffalo)
• 11 a.m. – Noon – Don’t Look Down: Innovating our Planetary Futures with the Public
  Planetary-scale issues are informed by science but cannot be solved by science alone. Engaging diverse public voices is vital to ensuring that the benefits of science and technology are shared by everyone. Since 2010 an ASU-led network of scholars, educators and policy practitioners has been doing just that. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Classroom 460)
  Speakers: Mahmud Farooque, Carrie McDougall, Amy Kaminski, Timiebi Aganaba and Ariel Anbar
• 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Solutions: Global KAITEKI Center Talks
  Join an engaging conversation on delivering sustainable global futures with a cool planet, Global Futures Lab style. How can we best empower ourselves and businesses to succeed sustainably? We will explore a suite of projects from The Global KAITEKI Center (TGKC), a Global Futures Laboratory center. TGKC works in partnership with global business and brings together a sustainable circular economy, the creation of sustainable social value for people and the planet, and the behavior change needed to get there. Join us as we explore delivering a cooler planet and thriving futures from the integrated perspectives of sustainable stuff, food, buildings, materials and our own wants, desires, and behaviors. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Classroom 192)
  Speakers: George Stephanopoulos, George Basile, Klaus Lackner, Kamil Kaloush, Lauren Keeler, David Sailor, Christopher Wharton, Stephanie Arcusa, John Harlow, Kevin Dooley, Maricarmen Vizcaino and Bhavik Bakshi (OSU)
• 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Just and Resilient Global Futures: WE Empower UN SDG Challenge – Business For Profit AND For Purpose
  The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is the first-of-its-kind global competition for women entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Join this inspiring panel discussion on sustainable business practices with opening comments from WE Empower Co-chair, high-level judge, and ASU Global Futures Laboratory founding benefactor, Julie Ann Wrigley.
  Speakers: Julie Ann Wrigley, Amanda Ellis, Zoya Lytvyn, Leah Lizarondo, Julie Hansen, Tea Trumbic and Maddie Handler
• 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – The Opportunity Before Us: Leveraging Decarbonization to Enhance Human Futures (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health classroom 192)
  This session will explore how we can leverage the fight against climate change and the deployment of renewable energy to create a thriving and inclusive future for people around the planet. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health classroom 192)
• 2 – 6 p.m. – YouthMappers Mapathon (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health 5th Floor, Suite 504 area)
  Learn how to create new spatial data directly needed by humanitarian organizations around the world to address adaptation/resilience to global change – no previous skill is needed! Led by ASU students (www.youthmappers.org) with free pizza! (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health 5th Floor, Suite 504 area)
• 2:30 – 4:15 p.m. – Scaling Innovation: How the MechanicalTree™ exemplifies innovation at scale
  Learn about the first-ever MechanicalTree™, produced in partnership with Carbon Collect and the ASU Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. (Tour immediately following the talk inside Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health auditorium with a short walk to the testing pad)
  Speakers: Klaus Lackner, Matt Green, Gary Dirks and Reyad Fezzani
• 4:30 – 6 p.m. – Arizona’s Energy Journey
  A special panel examines what the recent Arizona legislative rule changes mean for our state’s energy future
  Speakers: Kris Mayes, Gary Dirks, Sandra Kennedy, Jose Esparza, Spence Udall, Ellen Zuckerman, Yassamin Ansari

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Tuesday, April 19 | Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Building Dedication and Celebration

Join ASU leadership and some very special guests as we formally open the doors to ASU’s newest and largest research and learning facility.

• 10 – 11:30 a.m. – Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Building Dedication Celebration
  Join us in the center atrium for a special celebration of ASU’s newest flagship research and teaching facility.
  Speakers: Michael Crow, Sally Morton, Peter Schlosser and special guests
• 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health tours
  The first tour will depart at 11:45 am.
  Get a first-hand inside look at ASU’s newest, most sustainable collaboration and active learning space. Enjoy a guided tour through the newly dedicated facility, on track for LEED Platinum certification and outfitted with 70,000 square feet of laboratory space. From the Institute of Human Origins to the College of Global Futures and dozens of centers in-between, you will see how this new building is empowering ASU scientists and scholars to bridge our greater understanding of our human origins to our global futures.
• 2 – 4 p.m. – The Future of Conservation
  This four-part session will begin with a live conversation via ZOOM with world-renowned ethologist and activist Jane Goodall, followed by a keynote from Peter Seligmann, chairman of the board for Conservation International, followed by a photographic journey of global conservation “hot spots” guided by National Geographic photojournalist Keith Ladzinski. The session will conclude with a panel, moderated by Susan Goldberg, with conservationist and author Enric Sala, conservation innovator Alex Deghan and scientist, surfer, voyager and ASU professor Haunani Kane.
  Speakers: Jane Goodall, Peter Seligmann, Keith Ladzinski, Susan Goldberg, Enric Sala, Haunani Kane and Alex Dehgan
• 4 p.m. – Knowledge Exchange for Resilience Open House
  (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health 5th Floor, Suite 504 area)
• 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Opportunities for Climate Solutions and Green Careers
  Join Change the Chamber *Lobby for Climate and the Climate Action Campaign for a workshop that goes beyond climate doom and gloom. Learn about climate solutions, get expert tips on pursuing a green career or a summer job, and discover how to create and implement climate solutions. (Virtual event)

• 5 p.m. – Anthony J. Brazel Lecture in Urban Climate: Dr. Karen Seto from Yale University
  Offered by the ASU Urban Climate Research Center (ASU Memorial Union)

• 6 p.m. – Democracy and Climate Change Conference Keynote Address by Former Vice President Al Gore
  As the Democracy and Climate Change keynote speaker, Mr. Gore will offer a live virtual address on how the threats to democracy impact climate activism and policy reform. Presented in partnership with the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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Wednesday, April 20 | Our Relationship with Our Planet

Shine a light on the importance of society and humanities as we all consider our global health.

• 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Earth Week Village
  Learn more about Global Futures programs through a variety of interactive exhibits and displays directly from the scientists and students working on the research and innovations, and enjoy Food Trucks providing local tastes, Wednesday through Friday on the ground floor of the atrium.

• 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. – 2022 Democracy and Climate Change Conference
  Learn more about Global Futures programs through a variety of interactive exhibits and displays directly from the scientists and students working on the research and innovations, and enjoy Food Trucks providing local tastes, Wednesday through Friday on the ground floor of the atrium.

• 9 – 10 a.m. – Welcome and Firestarter Chat: What comes first, people or planet?
  An engaging and thought-provoking discussion designed to explore the deep synergies between people and the planet, and how the two are highly interdependent.
  Speakers: Peter Schlosser, Andrew Maynard, Netra Chhetri, Melissa Nelson and Dave White
• Noon – 1 p.m. – The Power of Global Partnerships and Youth Action
  To date, despite commitments to SDG 13 on Climate Action, less than half of the world’s national education curricula make any reference to climate change. Join this panel to hear from climate educators, youth advocates, and experts on the global partnerships needed to avert the climate crisis.
  Speakers: Maya Soetoro-Ng (University of Hawaii, The Obama Foundation), Amanda Ellis, Iveta Silova, Laura Hosman, Lizzie Quigley and Allen Allison
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment: Partnering to Accelerate Adaptation
  The PIRCA—the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment—generates targeted knowledge for Pacific Island decision-makers tackling climate change risks. This session will dig into what makes the PIRCA successful and how regional assessment partnerships can boost adaptive capacity. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health classroom 192)
  Speaker: Zena Grecni
• 1 – 2:15 p.m. – Reinventing the Future of Sustainable Retail
  Reinventing the Future of Sustainable Retail: An engaging panel and expo on how Starbucks and ASU are transforming the future of sustainable retail and leading collaborative partnerships for the betterment of people and our planet.
  Speakers: Michael Kobori (Sustainability CEO at Starbucks), Melissa Poort (director, People Positive), Lisa Young, Dave White and Nathan Johnson
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Newest dark horse in the climate game?: How the sports industry may be a game-changer in sustainable development
  As a $620B industry, sport is deeply embedded in communities around the world with a distinct platform that can be leveraged to safeguard the environment. This panel will explore the intersection of sport and the environment focusing on challenges and solutions for sustainable development at the community level, professional level, and government level impacting public policy decisions.
  Speakers: George Basile, Jennifer Vanos, Stephanie Gerretsen, Roger McClendon and Sofi Armenakian
• 3:30 – 5 p.m. – Humanities Lab and Seize the Moment Impact Outcomes Showcase
  Working in interdisciplinary teams, Lab students and faculty have been organizing panels and public events, producing podcasts and videos, and developing a range of outcomes, and campaigns that address grand social challenges in our global community. Join us for an interactive showcase celebrating the Spring ’22 semester’s —Seed Grants, Amplifier Mini-Grants, and Beyond the Lab Fellowship awardees alongside their transformative outcomes. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Atrium)
• 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Cooking in Two Worlds
  A food sovereignty journey with celebrated Diné chef Brian Yazzie

• 7 – 8:30 p.m. – How Will 80% of Humanity Live in Cities?
  This panel will explore how 80% of humanity can live in cities in the near future. We will discuss issues of urban sustainability, urban adaptation and the challenges and opportunities of life in cities from global and local perspectives.

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Thursday, April 21 | From Deep Blue to Deep Space

Takes you to the parts of the planet where great discoveries are still being made and solutions address the leading indicators of global stress.

• 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Earth Week Village
  Learn more about Global Futures programs through a variety of interactive exhibits and displays directly from the scientists and students working on the research and innovations, and enjoy Food Trucks providing local tastes, Wednesday through Friday on the ground floor of the atrium.
• 9 – 10 a.m. – Welcome and Firestarter Chat: Why go to space when the world’s oceans are at our feet?
  Speakers: Peter Schlosser, Andrew Maynard, Timiebi Aganaba, Haunani Kane, Jim Bell and Susanne Neuer
• 10 – 11 a.m. – Who and How will we Decide Global Futures?
  This panel will explore questions related to decision support for global futures. Realizing any vision about the future involves decisions at a number of scales. Who are those design makers? How do they reflect societal will? And what role can science play in decision-making?
  Speakers: Manfred Laubichler, Carlo Jaeger, (Global Climate Forum Berlin) Michael Dorsey, (incoming Walton Sustainability Chair), Gerald Steiner, (Danube University, Krems) Sarah Wolf, (Free University Berlin)

• 10 – 11:30 a.m. – Stories and Lessons from Indigenous Culinary Ambassadors
  These Native American chefs have traveled the world teaching peace and sustainability through Indigenous foods. In this session, three chefs share stories and lessons from their travels and meetings with cultures from Guam to Russia, the UK to Japan, where they shared healthy models of living embedded in Native foodways. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health 4th Floor, room 460)
  Speakers: Dr. Lois Ellen Frank, Brian Yazzie, Walter Whitewater and Melissa Nelson
• 10 – 11:30 a.m. – Promoting climate adaptation solutions in the Pacific Islands region: Pacific RISA
  For more than 15 years, the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program, or Pacific RISA, has been a leader in climate adaptation research in the Pacific Islands region, fostering two-way dialogues between researchers and decision-makers, building sustained relationships, and implementing use-inspired science through collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams. The program is led by the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, in partnership with and located at the East-West Center in Honolulu and researchers from the University of Hawai‘i. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Classroom 192)
• 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Ocean Futures
  Join us for a special ‘State of Our Oceans’ conversation led by Bill Curry, president and CEO of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the latest research and learning center to join the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. In addition to a keynote from Dr. Curry, this session will include videos on current oceans research and a panel of experts discusses what are the opportunities and needs in ensuring the health of the planet’s oceans.
  Speakers: Bill Curry and other faculty from the Bermuda Institute
• 1:30 – 4 p.m. – Indigenous Ways of Knowing Water, Land and Sky
  For this in-depth presentation, three Indigenous women sustainability scientists explore the Deep Blue of oceans, waves and water; the Deep Green of plants, seeds, and land; and the Deep Space of stars, galaxies, and planets. From Indigenous languages, stories, and practices to scientific instruments and data, these inter-connected presentations will provide a coherent and comprehensive perspective of Indigenous sciences of water, land, and sky. They will emphasize the importance of “two-eyed seeing” to weave together Indigenous and Western knowledge systems and understandings of the natural world to create greater resilience.
  Speakers: Melissa Nelson, Haunani Kane, Annette Lee and Katie Kamelamela
• 4:30 – 6 p.m. – College of Global Futures Student Showcase
  Each semester, the College of Global Futures invites students to highlight their research, internships and projects at our celebratory Student Showcase. The showcase is open to undergraduate and graduate student work affiliated with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, the School of Sustainability and the School of Complex Adaptive Systems. (Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health Second Floor Terrace)
  Learn more
• 4:30 – 6 p.m. – Satellite Data in Support of Climate Objectives
  This panel discussion will examine how new technological developments in satellites, artificial intelligence and big data could work towards supporting the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Leaders and innovators will present a multi-stakeholder perspective on the latest developments in climate change data, both from the perspective of victims of the climate crisis as well as to provide solutions to perpetrators. The panel will discuss the impacts of these technologies to multilateral regimes, local communities, private organizations, NGOs and individuals. The aim of this hybrid event is to share experiences and information from a variety of stakeholders and to explore ways forward for continued collaboration.
  Speakers: Greg Asner, Jeffrey Guido and Timiebi Aganaba
• 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – The Future in 2052: Teetering On The Edge Of Tomorrow
  A lively, provocative and entertaining moderated panel discussion between future thinkers at ASU on the unique challenges and opportunities global society will face over the next 50 years in the light of emerging technological and social trends, and how we can approach successfully navigating them. Join us for refreshments following the talk.
  Speakers: Lauren Keeler, Ruth Wylie, Danielle Kabella and Lindsay Smith

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Friday, April 22 | Earth Day

With big picture looks at what our future may hold and how humanity is acting now in order to shape tomorrow, today, for a future where all of Earth’s inhabitants may thrive.

• 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Ecologies and Infrastructures Cultural Techniques of Environmental Management
  The first symposium on Ecologies and Infrastructures between Kings College London and ASU, a comprehensive panel will explore questions like what future contributions can human, or even posthuman, sciences make to help drive sustainability.

• 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Earth Week Village
  Learn more about Global Futures programs through a variety of interactive exhibits and displays directly from the scientists and students working on the research and innovations, and enjoy Food Trucks providing local tastes, Wednesday through Friday on the ground floor of the atrium.
• 10 – 11 a.m. – Welcome and Firestarter Chat: How Do We Foster Hope in A World That Sometimes Seems Hopeless?
  An inspiring discussion around the importance of hope, and how we find it through vision, aspirations, collaboration, discovery, our humanity etc., and the roles of GFL and Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health in fostering hope.
  Speakers: Peter Schlosser, Andrew Maynard, Nina Berman and Susan Goldberg
• 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Hope, Alarm, and Climate Change: The Climate Narratives Prize
  Three nationally renowned writers will receive this inaugural Climate Narratives Prize, nominated by leaders in the field including Katherine Hayhoe, Bill McKibben, Wendell Berry, Frank Sesno, Vann Newkirk and Lacy M. Johnson. The winners will be featured live and others will join virtually to discuss the winning work and the kinds of narratives that resonate with audiences and can drive change. This fun, dynamic event will be moderated by Steven Beschloss and Sarah Viren and is the result of their prize-selecting graduate course, “Climate Narratives, Apocalypse, and Social Change.”
• 2 – 4:30 p.m. – Three Conversations on Time and Global Futures
  The Global Futures Laboratory’s 14 focal areas – topically organized groups representing faculty expertise across the entire university – are creative sandboxes for generating ideas with impact. This trio of panels explores the importance of thinking about time – for understanding trajectories, transitions, inflections, interventions, and even our own biases in understanding and influencing our global futures.
  Speakers: Energy: Gary Dirks, Water: Sarah Porter, Food Systems: Kathleen Merrigan, Governance: Shauna Burnsilver, Cities: Dave White Leads of the 14 Global Futures Focal Areas

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Saturday, April 23 | Beyond Earth Day

Our commitment to our planet does not end at the strike of midnight of April 22nd. Continue your service and learning.

• 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Earth Day Cleanup Event
  Calling all environmental heroes…celebrate Earth Day with ASU, Rio Reimagined and our group of partners and help clean up the Salt River! (Meet on the west side of 91st Avenue, 1 mile South of Broadway)

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