Resources

Community Resources

Reading List

  • An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore
  • Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet by Bill McKibben
  • Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity by James C Hansen
  • The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
  • The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning by James Lovelock
  • Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water by Tony Clarke
  • Humanizing the Economy: Co-operatives in the Age of Capital by John Restakis
  • Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins
  • Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson
  • Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era by Amory Lovins, Marvin Odum, and John W. Rowe
  • Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few by Robert Reich
  • The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability by James Gustave Speth
  • Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
  • Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
  • The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience (Transition Guides) by Rob Hopkins and Richard Heinberg
  • Whole Earth Discipline: an Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand
  • Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Ronald & Raoul W. Adamchak
  • Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
  • Food Inc.: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer – And What You Can Do About It by Karl Weber
  • In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
  • Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
  • Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
  • Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstien
  • The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality by Dalai Lama
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
  • Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It by Jeffrey D. Clements and Bill Moyers
  • Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse by David W. Orr
  • Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change by Kathleen Dean Moore
  • Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. M. Conway
  • Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing the Save Civilization by Lester Brown
  • The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson
  • Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson
  • Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It means by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
  • Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
  • The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene
  • Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows
  • Illegal People by David Bacon
  • Systemic Racism by Joe Feagin
  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
  • How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi

Screening List

Note: Asterisked (*) entries are available for free streaming on Kanopy for Texas A&M users. Visit texasam.kanopy.com.

  • Green Economics Series*
  • Hungry for Profit (1985)*
  • Inequality for All (2013)
  • Poverty, Inc. (2014)
  • The Future of Life – Biodiversity in the New Millennium with Edward O. Wilson (2002)*
  • The True Cost (2015)
  • American Experience: Rachel Carson (2017)*
  • Before the Flood (2016)
  • Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009)*
  • Chasing Ice (2012)
  • Gasland (2010)
  • Home (2009)
  • March of the Penguins (2005)
  • Racing Extinction (2015)
  • The Eleventh Hour (2007)
  • Tomorrow (2015)
  • In Defense of Food – An Eater’s Manifesto (2014)*
  • Cowspiracy (2014)
  • Fed Up (2014)
  • Food Forward Series*
  • Food, Inc. (2008)
  • Super Size Me (2004)
  • What the Health (2017)
  • An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017)
  • Blackfish (2013)
  • Bowling for Columbine (2002)
  • Pink Ribbons, Inc. (2011)
  • The Corporation (2003)
  • 13th (2016)
  • Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016)
  • Can It Hurt Less? (1992)*
  • Dark Girls (2011)
  • Eyes on the Prize Series
    • Freedom Riders (2010)
    • I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
    • La 92 (2017)
    • Slavery by Another Name (2012)
    • Strong Island (2017)
  • The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross Series
    • The Black List Series
    • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
    • The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)
    • The Hunting Ground (2015)

Videos

Sustainability Awards Program

  • Presenters: Jesse Carswell, Sustainability Operations Coordinator; Ben Kalscheur, Sustainability Assistant Manager; Kelly Wellman, Sustainability Director
  • Summary: The Office of Sustainability will provide a brief update on campus sustainability and present the Annual Campus Sustainability Champion Awards.
  • Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi2wkVgpdvQ
  • Original Presentation Date: April 12, 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

The Cost and Burden of Environmental Justice

  • Presenters: Catherine Rosas and Renee Oswalt, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: The economic and social impact of environmental injustice. Explores modern examples of the disproportionate exposure of environmental risks to marginalized communities. This talk explores the question, to what extent are these exposures of environmental risks accidental or intentional?
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/OBR7FlK7GPc
  • Original Presentation Date: April 13, 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

TAMU Transportation Transformation

  • Presenters: Jamie Loasby and Manasa Bhaskara, TAMU Sustainability Interns; Jeff Puckett
  • Summary: This conversation covered how public transportation at TAMU affects the environment both on and off campus. After an overview of transportation on campus, a discussion about micro mobility, bikes, and the impacts of COVID-19 with TAMU’s Alternative Transportation Program Coordinator concludes the session.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/MNbiogGPONk
  • Original Presentation Date: April 14, 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

TAMU Sustainability Master Plan Panel

  • Presenters: Carol Binzer, Director – Residence Life; Jason Mastrogiovanni, Executive Director - Office for Student Success; David Riddle, Regional Vice President – Chartwells; Jim Riley, Executive Director – Utilities & Energy Services; Panel Moderator: Kelly Wellman, Sustainability Director, Office of Sustainability
  • Summary: Campus stakeholders provided updates regarding how their respective units are achieving the goals of the Sustainability Master Plan.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/y4IdpOeibMw
  • Original Presentation Date: April 15, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Social Sustainability: How Cultures Influence Each Other

  • Presenters: Nikki Lim and Kathia Rivas TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: Social sustainability is about building communities that are diverse, equitable, and that promote well-being. This includes learning about and preserving different cultures. In this presentation, we explored the relationship between culture and sustainability, and how countries can learn from each other to create more progressive communities. We also examined appropriation and its effects on social sustainability.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/r-_wYYXpUEw
  • Original Presentation Date: April 16, 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Instagram Event

  • Summary: The Office of Sustainability partnered with campus departments, community partners, student organizations, to showcase the variety of ways our campus and community engage with sustainability.
  • @sustainabletamu
  • Original Date: April 19

Fair Trade: How can Chocolate or a Cup of Tea Help Fight Global Injustice?

  • Presenters: Stephanie Denson, District Marketing Manager for Chartwells Higher Education Services, Texas A&M Region; Yadira Hernandez, Sustainability Marketing Graduate Intern
  • Summary: Fair Trade. Two small words that can make a world of difference. Fair Trade is a global movement towards a more sustainable way of making products that gives a voice to farmers and workers by providing fair prices, equal opportunities, and so much more! Find out how TAMU is a Fair Trade Campus and learn how everyday products can make a change for a more just and fair world. #SealTheDeal #FairTradeDifference
  • Recording:https://youtu.be/ztkRc_7PDw8
  • Original Presentation Date: April 19, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Was the Free-Market Worth Freezing?

  • Presenters: Jaedyn Medrano and Savannah Bogard, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: This presentation explored the complex socio-political relationships behind the Texas Power Grid Failure. It covered the policies that created the modern Texas Energy Grid, the connections behind the extreme weather event and climate change, and the institutionalization of environmental racism/injustice in today's society. It highlighted the negative impacts that this event had on the environment and lower income communities in the state of Texas.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/sGB5Txm_gjU
  • Original Presentation Date: April 20, 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Ethical Implications of the Renewable Energy Transition

  • Presenters: Yasmin Safian and Neeki Mostoufi, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: This talk explored the reception and ethics of the transition to renewable energy across various aspects. Place identity, local and global environmental concerns, and more are examined.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/BtsM9teG1Ag
  • Original Presentation Date: April 21, 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Creating Change as an Individual in 2021

  • Speaker: Shelbi Orme, Environmental Activist, Educator, and Social Media Influencer
  • Bio: Shelbi is an environmental activist & educator who uses her platforms of 300,000+ followers to share how individuals can take action and make changes in their life to live more sustainably. Shelbi is a former student of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies as well as a former intern with the Office of Sustainability. She has been living a zero-waste lifestyle for over five years and has helped dozens of brands & communities align their eco-conscious values with their actions.
  • Summary: Living a sustainable lifestyle has become something of a trend in recent years which has led to wonderful achievements for our planet! As a result, so many of us are becoming aware of the broader issues we face as a society and are ready to use our voices and power as consumers to make a change. This presentation covers her top three actionable steps you can implement today to enact change in your community and around the world to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/hnTp9yLufoI
  • Original Presentation Date: April 22, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Georgetown Green Film Series: 2040

  • Summary: Southwestern University and the City of Georgetown hosted a virtual screening of 2040, a 2019 documentary film focused on new approaches and solutions to climate change in renewable energy, mobility, regenerative agriculture, marine permaculture, and women empowerment/education.
  • Registration Link: Eventbrite Registration
  • Original Presentation Date: April 22, 6:00 p.m.

Exploring the Sustainability of Cryptocurrency and Textiles

  • Presenters: Madison Saenz and Francesco Previto, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: This talk examined the often unseen environmental, economic, and social impacts associated with Bitcoin and the textile industries. Most conversations around Bitcoin focus on its value and validity, but further discussion is needed around the sustainability of digital currencies. The sustainability of the textile will also be further examined. Overall, we want participants to be more conscious of these everyday industries that might not be as obviously unsustainable or sustainable such as the fossil fuel and renewable energy industries.
  • Recording: https://youtu.be/cWhgAKdJQc0
  • Original Presentation Date: April 23, 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Campus Sustainability Video Tour

  • Summary: There are 12 locations around campus with QR codes linking to a short video tour and questionnaire about that location. If you watch the video and answer the short questionnaire, you will earn one point for the prize drawing. Points are available for every stop on the tour, so up to 12 points are available. If you are not physically on campus, you can still participate from home, just watch the videos and fill out the form. Locations and links to the videos and questionnaire are below. Click each link to visit on campus locations.
  • Original Dates: April 12 – 30

The Howdy Farm Compost Drop-Off

  • Summary: This is an opportunity to drop off compost to the Howdy Farm’s outdoor compost bin during Virtual Earth Month (VEM). With every compost drop off you have the opportunity to earn 1 point towards VEM prizes. To participate, please leave compostable items in the designated area and scan the QR code. At the compost bins, there will be a QR code easily visible that once scanned leads to a form to fill out for you to receive your VEM point. The location of Howdy Farm can be found by putting the following address into google: Howdy Farm Rd. College Station, Tx 77845.
  • Descriptive Directions: You can find Howdy Farm in the West Campus of Texas A&M University, directly behind the Horticulture and Forestry Sciences building. If you're heading west on University take a left on Adriance Lab Road, then take your next left, and then your next right and we are located by the greenhouses. In the image below, the green dot shows the location of the compost bins.
  • What Can I Compost?
      • Vegetable and fruit scraps
      • Coffee grounds
      • Eggshells
      • Corn stalks
      • Citrus and melon rinds
      • Dead flowers
  • Original Dates: April 12 – 23

Sport Ecology: Understanding the Relationships Between Sport and the Natural Environment

  • Presenter: Brian McCullough, Associate Professor, TAMU Health & Kinesiology
  • Summary: The current state of the natural environment and determine causes resulting in climate change are taking on a more prominent focus specific to its interplay with sport. The study of sport ecology (McCullough et al., 2020), or the bidirectional relationship between sport and the natural environment, seeks to understand the delicate balance between these two entities to ensure that the natural environment can thrive while we consume sport, recreation and physical activity whether as active participants or spectators. There is a growing momentum within the sport industry to address environmental impacts. This presentation celebrates the fifth Anniversary of Green Sports Day and the launch of the Sport Ecology Laboratory housed within the Center for Sport Management Research and Education at Texas A&M University by exploring the topics and emphasis of sport ecology research and industry engagement. Specifically discussed are the areas of emphasis of the Sport Ecology Laboratory and the opportunities for collaboration on academic research, educational opportunities, and engagement with the sport industry.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/W9N9ipEWeOw
  • Original Presentation Date: October 6, 12:00 p.m. – 1 p.m.

The Green New Deal: Impacts of an Energy Transition

  • Presenter: Lauryn Perez, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: In 2019, The Green New Deal was proposed by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and has been a topic of controversy in the political sphere in anticipation of the upcoming election. This presentation breaks down this document and discuss the potential impacts it may have for industry as well as the average citizen. Using various countries around the world as examples, it covers the positive and negative consequences to an energy transition.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/KW4opvTBj4w
  • Original Presentation Date: October 12, 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Modern Day Ethnic Cleansing: The Uyghur Conflict in China

  • Presenter: Michelle Lee, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: In the Xinjiang province of China, the Uyghur population is being targeted by the Chinese government and subjected to harsh treatments solely based on their ethnicity. Mass surveillance systems, reeducation camps, and forced sterilization are just a few ways China is imposing control on this oppressed group.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/rD0jbkrQc24
  • Original Presentation Date: October 15, 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

How Natural Disasters Impact Low-Income Communities

  • Presenter: Thomas Jistel, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: A review of environmental effects of high impact climate events, such as hurricanes and wildfires. High impact weather events are becoming more common. This hurricane season we have had over 20 named hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean and thousands of acres burned in one of the worst fire seasons on the West Coast. This presentation examines pollution caused by hurricanes and forest fires and the long-lasting health implications, specifically on low-income communities.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/4gbxFinIuVY
  • Original Presentation Date: October 15, 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 PM

The Condor & The Eagle Virtual Screening and Panel Discussion

  • Discussion Panelists: Bryan Parras, co-founder of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s.) and the Sierra Club of Texas Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign, Yudith Azareth Nieto, climate activist of Another Gulf Is Possible and Los Jardines Institute, and Veronica Johnson, Sustainability Coordinator at Southwestern University
  • Summary: From the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the oil fields of Texas, to the Ecuadorian Amazon, The Condor & The Eagle tells the story of the collective struggle of the Indigenous peoples of North and South America in their fight to preserve their communities and to protect the Earth from climate change. In this inspiring documentary, hear from climate activists who unite our communities in the movement for climate justice.
  • Original Presentation Date: October 15, 6:00 p.m – 9:00 p.m.

The Importance of Intersectional Environmentalism

  • Presenter: Lily Tetu, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: Intersectional environmentalism is a holistic and inclusive form of environmental stewardship. It recognizes underrepresented groups within the environmental movement, as well as the disparity in the ways climate change and disasters affect marginalized communities. This discussion is focused on the ways that intersectional environmentalism encompasses all forms of sustainability and can lead the way toward true social and environmental justice.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfXTisabXto
  • Original Presentation Date: October 16, 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Colorism Due to Colonialism

  • Presenter: Shreya Veeravelli, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: During the colonial era, Europeans invaded Asian and African societies where dark skin was more common. White supremacy established a hierarchy within the communities and brought rise to colorism, leading to a stigmatization upon darker skin tones.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/0HftAis267U
  • Original Presentation Date: October 16, 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Geoengineering: Climate Engineering and its Sociopolitical Implications

  • Presenter: Jessica Bomar, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: As the climate catastrophe propels the inevitable end of fossil fuel consumption and accelerates the destruction of the planet and its ecosystems, climate engineering, or the development of technologies in combating or even reversing climate change, holds promise for the future of the planet. But how could this technology go wrong? This talk discusses what options the future of engineering poses for combating climate change, what precautions we should maintain with this technology, and how this technology can promote democracy over technocracy.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/4rSPwKeDXGM
  • Original Presentation Date: October 19, 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

How are Endangered Species Impacted by COVID-19

  • Presenter: Kendall Sitzmann, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: COVID-19 has greatly disrupted the human population; however, we are not the only ones at risk of catching the virus. Nearly half of the species that are at risk of contracting COVID-19 are listed as at least threatened by the World Wildlife Fund. Learn what types of animals are at risk and how this can affect their ecological numbers.
  • Recorded Link: https://youtu.be/j4E6Y2qJeeA
  • Original Presentation Date: October 19, 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Fast Fashion During the Pandemic

  • Presenter: Jenny Jiang, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: As the pandemic continues to affect businesses around the globe, the fast fashion industry has seen an uproar in sales. This has led to an increase in employment at factories which means these factories are crowded during a pandemic where everyone should be keeping a distance. The treatment of these factory workers has gotten worse as the sales continue to increase. This presentation explores how the pandemic has affected the fast fashion industry and what we can do to help.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKeEQ0-NXi4
  • Original Presentation Date: October 23, 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Sustainability of Disturbances

  • Presenter: Paige Wirth, TAMU Sustainability Educator Intern
  • Summary: For a long time, we have been attempting to curve the impact of disturbances on the natural ecosystem due to the perceived negative economic and social impact. In the last 100 years, we have slowly begun to understand how important natural disturbances are to the ecosystem, and how management of disturbances can be extremely beneficial to all three branches of sustainability.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwM0PZO5JhU
  • Original Presentation Date: October 23, 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

On Wednesdays We Recycle! Why Recycling is still so Fetch!

  • Presenter: Caroline Ask, Environmental Compliance & Recycling Manager at City of College Station
  • Summary: A discussion on College Station recycling
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ58oYIbmMQ
  • Original Presentation Date: October 26, 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The Story of Stuff and Discussion

  • Presenter: Kendall Sitzmann, Michelle Lee, Lily Tetu, & Jenny Jiang, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: This event will feature the short documentary “The Story of Stuff,” which explores the details of where our material goods come from and where they end up. In The Story of Stuff, founder Annie Leonard discusses the problems of a linear economy, and how it interacts with our consumption-obsessed society.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sif0W_CEK8k
  • Original Presentation Date: October 26, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Sustainability Jeopardy!

  • Presenter: Shreya Veeravelli, Thomas Jistel, Jessica Bomar, Lauryn Perez, TAMU Sustainability Interns
  • Summary: It’s time to play Sustainability Jeopardy! We played a virtual game of Jeopardy that will pull questions from six different categories: Sustainability at Texas A&M, Sustainability at Home, Sustainability in Food, Sustainability in Transportation, Sustainability in Communities, Sustainability in Energy, and General Topics in Sustainability. Each category covered five questions that increase in difficulty and point value. Each player will be playing individually and the first person to type the correct answer in the ‘Chat’ will receive the points for that questions, as well as pick the next question.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gegu8Xrr6y8
  • Original Presentation Date: October 27, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Fair Trade: Globally and On-Campus at Texas A&M

  • Presenter: Stephanie Denson, District Marketing Manager for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, Texas A&M Region
  • Summary: As a leader in the global movement to make trade fair, Fair Trade supports and challenges businesses and governments to connect with farmers and workers to provide better prices per product, decent working conditions, and equal opportunities for local family farms and small businesses in developing countries. Come find out how Texas A&M is a Fair Trade Campus and what you can do to be part of the Fair Trade difference! #SeekTheSeal #FairTradeDifference
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSa2tEuwxMo
  • Original Presentation Date: October 28, 11:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Global Forest Conservation: Avoid Unintended Consequences

  • Presenter: Jianbang Gan, TAMU Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Professor
  • Summary: Deforestation and forest degradation are still occurring at an alarming pace at the global level although tremendous conservation efforts have been made. Even a good local action sometimes can lead to unintended global consequences. What can we do to improve the efficacy of environmental conservation in general and forest conversion in particular? Consumers can be powerful in forest conservation. It is important to think globally and act locally and prudently.
  • Recorded Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdr5WQTy0F0
  • Original Presentation Date: October 29, 11:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Comparing the Countries: Who’s Preventive Measures are Holding Up Against the Coronavirus?

  • Presenter: Kendall Sitzmann, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: This talk ranked/categorized different countries reactions and strategies to responding to COVID and showed how the US ranked among them.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6UVBQYJmP4
  • Original Presentation Date: April 30, 12: 00 p.m.

The Most Forgotten Vulnerable Population: Homelessness & Sanitation Access During COVID-19

  • Presenter: Thomas Jistel, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: This talk explored current methods to solve homelessness in the US and abroad, while protecting this vulnerable population from COVID and future diseases, including access to water, sanitation, and housing first policies.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtp7PNepkLQ
  • Original Presentation Date: April 29, 11: 00 a.m.

Responses to COVID-19: How Certain Groups are Being Left Behind

  • Presenter: Faiza Hasan, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: This presentation explored how different countries were responding to COVID in terms of providing aid for their most vulnerable groups. It discussed how certain populations, such as the poor, disabled, and elderly, were being cared for during that time.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Wn-6u5Aq4
  • Original Presentation Date: April 28, 6: 00 p.m.

Mental Health in Relation to Coronavirus

  • Presenter: Molly Murphy, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: The speaker discussed how isolation impacts different types of people and mental health is impacted by anxiety and fear in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aup_MhyEG2k
  • Original Presentation Date: April 28, 12: 00 p.m.

COVID-19 and Domestic Violence: How Shelter-in-Place Orders are Affecting Victims of Abuse

  • Presenter: Michelle Lee, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: This talk covered the effects of COVID-19 on the surge in domestic violence cases. The speaker went over examples of how perpetrators might abuse their victims during quarantine and what victims can do to help themselves.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaB9Ompj2PI
  • Original Presentation Date: April 27, 4: 00 p.m.

Lessons We Can Learn from COVID-19 & Applying Them to the Climate Crisis

  • Presenter: Lily Tetu, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: As the COVID-19 pandemic plays out, parts of its effects mirror what we might predict or expect from climate-related catastrophes in the future. We can extract value from our circumstances by identifying effective tactics for dealing with severe hardship on a global scale and applying those tactics to mitigate suffering from the climate crisis in the future. Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8pLlYY7occ
  • Original Presentation Date: April 27, 2: 00 p.m.

Racial Discrimination and the Limits it Places on Society

  • Presenter: Shreya Veeravelli, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: Understanding racism and the limits it places in society and exploring how COVID-19 has intensified and spurred tensions.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YdeJ6KtKoU
  • Original Presentation Date: April 24, 12: 00 p.m.

How Coronavirus and the Economic Gap Affect Each Other

  • Presenter: Jenny Jiang, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: The effects of coronavirus on the economic wealth gap and the effects of the wealth gap on coronavirus.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=An9rdMQMaoY
  • Original Presentation Date: April 23, 2: 00 p.m.

What the Absence of Humans Has Taught Us

  • Presenter: Lauryn Perez, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: This presentation covered the positive and negative environmental impacts from COVID-19 and what they have taught us about how we can live sustainably in the future. The speaker discussed pollution levels, water quality, and our relationship with wildlife/nature.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oto2R8Xd2Zk
  • Original Presentation Date: April 22, 2: 00 p.m.

Housing Crisis during COVID-19

  • Presenter: Jessica Bomar, TAMU Sustainability Intern
  • Summary: Ethical implications and environmental spread of virus by denying housing rights to the homeless.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTaXrEmJCc
  • Original Presentation Date: April 21, 5: 30 p.m.

Small Things Snowball: The Trex Plastic Challenge

  • Presenter: Kristianna Bowles, TAMU Residence Life GA
  • Summary: This session covered Texas A&M’s Trex Plastic Film Challenge focused on the recycling of plastic film like grocery and Ziploc bags. The session covered how the challenge was implemented and provide strategies for other institutions looking to adopt this program.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPgw3f7nHG8
  • Original Presentation Date: April 20, 2: 00 p.m.

What's the Real Cause of Climate Change?

  • Presenter: Andrew Dessler, TAMU Atmospheric Sciences Professor
  • Summary: What's the real cause of climate change? The most obvious answer is that we've dumped a huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. But that's not a particularly interesting answer because it doesn't give us any insight into solving the problem beyond the obvious goal of emitting less. In this talk, the speaker addresses a perhaps more pertinent question: why do we continue emitting greenhouse gases given that we know that these emissions are changing our climate? The answer is that, over the past 40 years, US economic policy has been dominated by policies to remove restrictions from markets ("get rid of red tape"). This creates market failures, which allow corporations to take profits, but push costs onto society. This is extremely profitable for the corporations, but terrible for everyone else. Solving climate change efficiently requires government intervention to fix these market failures, but such fixes are opposed by both emitters and uber free-marketeers, both of whom wield enormous power in our political system. It may be impossible to effectively solve climate change without re-imagining the role of government in society.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iTKDkJ5XG8
  • Original Presentation Date: April 21, 2: 00 p.m.

Office of Sustainability Awards Ceremony 2020

  • Presenter: TAMU Office of Sustainability
  • Summary: Virtual Awards Ceremony for our campus STARS Award recipients and to celebrate the 2020 Student, Faculty, and Staff Sustainability Champions.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsBGgZSEBE
  • Original Presentation Date: April 22, 11: 30 p.m.

Communicating Climate Change in Texas

  • Presenter: John Nielsen-Gammon
  • Summary: Weather forecasts are not political. This talk explored ways in which Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon has attempted to convey climate information to try to make people as receptive to it as they are to a weather forecast.
  • Recorded Link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iywRo8fAgA
  • Original Presentation Date: April 20, 10: 30 p.m.