Monthlong series to run Sept. 27 – Nov. 2
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s Office of Sustainability announces a series of events to raise awareness about climate justice. All events are free and open to the public.
“This series is designed to bring attention to the effects of the climate crisis on frontline communities,” said Dr. Lee J. Ball, App State’s chief sustainability officer.
The series kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 27, with a screening of the film “Take Me to the Water,” followed by a panel discussion with experts who have knowledge of the Gullah Geechee culture. The event, to be held at 6 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union Table Rock Room, is a collaborative effort between Girl Scout Troop #10289, the App State Office of Sustainability and the Pin Point Heritage Museum near Savannah, Georgia.
The Girl Scouts, who are working on their Silver Awards, will assist in leading discussion following the film. The Girl Scouts visited the museum last June and learned how the Gullah Geechee people were a remote and self-sufficient community, with family values, religion and work that was heavily linked to the water of Pin Point. Learn more about their sustainable food ways and the effects of climate change on this community, and celebrate their heritage.
“One of the most important takeaways for the girls is the connection they made to similarities within the Appalachian culture,” said Jennifer Maxwell, a troop leader and sustainability program director for the Office of Sustainability. “And, they want to share those similarities with people attending the film.”
Ball shared that App State developed this series as “a campaign for climate justice is based on the collaborative approach needed to effectively combat climate change.” The series, he emphasized, “highlights the importance of recognizing that people who are traditionally marginalized by society often bear the brunt of climate change.”
Eliminating barriers to information access, said Ball, can help mitigate the effects of the climate crisis and provide support to these communities.
“Events like Climate Justice Month allow App State students, faculty and staff and the High Country community to come together to support climate action and encourage behavior change. This is a time for us to build awareness and engage,” said Ball.
Below is a schedule of all Climate Justice Month events at App State.
Climate Justice Month at App State
For more information, visit sustain.appstate.edu.
Fall Sustainability Film Series: Girl Scouts Meet the Gullah Geechee Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Sept. 27, 6 p.m., Plemmons Student Union Table Rock Room
A screening of the film “Take Me to the Water” will be followed by a panel discussion with experts who have knowledge of the Gullah Geechee culture. The event, to be held at 6 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union Table Rock Room, is a collaborative effort between Girl Scout Troop #10289, the App State Office of Sustainability and the Pin Point Heritage Museum near Savannah, Georgia.
App CAP 2.0 Climate Justice Listening Session
Oct. 5, 2-4 p.m., Plemmons Student Union, App State
Hosted by Office of Sustainability
This session will provide an opportunity for the campus community to give input for App State’s climate action plan update. The primary goal is to receive community feedback related to climate and environmental justice to ensure the university’s climate action plan recognizes the importance of supporting marginalized communities.
Climate Justice and Resilience Garden Tour
Oct. 7, 1 p.m., Appalachian Roots Garden on East Howard Street in Boone
Hosted by Office of Sustainability
Visit the Appalachian Roots Garden to learn about resilience in food systems and its connection to climate justice.
Turchin Center First Friday Tours featuring “MULTITUDES”
Oct. 7, 5:30 and 7 p.m., Turchin Center
Hosted by the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
“Multitudes” is a celebration of Bart Vargas’ use of materials, form, pattern and color through sculpture and painting. This 20-year retrospective of Vargas’ work consists of objects and images built from salvaged materials. Vargas writes of his work, “My sculptures evoke the taken-for-granted nature of everyday materials in society. I want my creations to act as artifacts and evidence at the dawn of the Anthropocene and of the early 21st century, an era of limited resources and extraordinary consumption and waste.”
Community Feast
Oct. 12, 4:30-6 p.m., Sanford Mall
Hosted by the AppalFRESH Collaborative
The AppalFRESH Collaborative invites Appalachian students, faculty, staff and the community to the sixth annual Community FEaST (Food Engagement and StoryTelling) on Sanford Mall. Gather around a 100-yard long table for a simple, local meal of potatoes, greens and apple pie with live local music. Join us as we build community and reduce food insecurity by encouraging conversation and storytelling about the importance of sustainable food, maximizing local food sourcing while enjoying a delicious meal. This is a near-zero waste event.
Multicultural Center Social Justice Lunch and Learn
Oct. 21, 12-1:15 p.m., Multicultural Center, Plemmons Student Union
Hosted by International Studies Abroad
Open Access Petting Zoo
Oct. 24-30, Belk Library
Hosted by Belk Library
Open Access is an international movement to ensure that more people have the ability to experience faculty, staff and student scholarly work. At the Open Access Petting Zoo, faculty and students will have an opportunity to handle print versions of high-quality open access textbooks.
“Furnace and Fugue” and “Shadow Play: Virtual Realities in an Analog World”
October 24-30, Visualization Wall, Belk Library
Hosted by Belk Library
The visualization wall in the library will showcase two examples of extraordinary digital humanities texts:
“Furnace & Fugue” is a digital presentation of an ancient alchemical text embedded with mathematical puzzles, gorgeous emblems, accompanying music and a hidden recipe for The Philosopher’s Stone.
“Shadow Play: Virtual Realities in an Analog World” enables viewers to understand and directly experience how fabulous old-fangled optical devices were the precursor to the virtual realms of this moment.”
“Paywall: The Business of Scholarship” Film and Panel Discussion
Oct. 24, 6 p.m., Greenbrier Theater, Plemmons Student Union
Hosted by Office of Sustainability and Belk Library
Enjoy a fun evening at Greenbriar Theater watching a revealing film about the publishing world.
“Angel of Alabama” Film and Guest Speaker
Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Greenbrier Theater, Plemmons Student Union
Hosted by Office of Sustainability, Documentary Film Services
A mid-career investigator returns home in rural Alabama to support her mother’s failing health. Amidst unusually rampant disease, she becomes a caretaker for her community until an unexpected diagnosis launches her investigation to heal her county.
F.A.R.M. Cafe Lunch and Learn
Oct. 26, 1:30 p.m., F.A.R.M. Cafe, 617 W King St., Boone
Hosted by Belk Library
As part of the library’s programming for International Open Access week, a Lunch & Learn event at F.A.R.M. Café will feature Dr. Lee Ball, chief sustainability officer, and Jamie Parson, chief diversity officer, who will speak on the relationship between open access, sustainability and diversity.
“Powerlands” Film Screening
Nov. 2, 6 p.m., Greenbrier Theater, Plemmons Student Union
Hosted by Native American Student Association
A young Navajo filmmaker investigates displacement of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies that have exploited the land where she was born. On this personal and political journey she learns from Indigenous activists across three continents.
Regular Garden Workdays
Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m., App State’s Living Learning Center Garden, 301 Bodenheimer Drive
Fridays, 1-3 p.m., Appalachian Roots Garden on East Howard Street
Hosted by Office of Sustainability
Volunteer with the Appalachian Roots Garden team to learn about resilience in food systems and its connection to climate justice.
Courtesy of App State’s Office of Sustainability.
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