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What Can the Pandemic Teach Us About Being (Un)prepared for Climate Change and Other Global Disasters?
One in a series of presentations on Climate & Sustainability by Sara Via, Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland. She will address: The similarities between the failed US responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change are remarkable, right down to the role of politics. How can we use lessons learned during this pandemic to motivate people to take climate change seriously, to recognize the importance of early action, to focus on science-based solutions and to see the need to advance social equity?…
Find out more »Clean Water is a Right: Equity and Environmental Justice Around the Bay Webinar
Ensuring the meaningful involvement of all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, or income is critical to ensuring equity for all. Join the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and a panel of elected leaders and community advocates for perspectives on recent environmental justice victories around the Bay watershed. They will also discuss where this critical conversation needs to go in the coming years. Advance registration is required. More information and to register
Find out more »Climate change is Bad for Your Health
One in a series of presentations on Climate & Sustainability by Sara Via, Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland. Dr. Via was one of the speakers at our Climate Change and Your Food Supply talk last July. Read more. Flyer To register for all the sessions click here.
Find out more »Earth Optimism Panel: Building Climate-Resilient Communities on the Coast
Presented by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Tens of millions of Americans make their homes in coastal cities. How these cities adapt to rising seas will determine their futures in the 21st century. Three experts from cities on the East and West Coasts of the United States will share stories and ideas about how coastal communities can build resiliently in the face of sea level rise. Join for an evening of cross-country dialogue, with built-in time for audience questions. Panelists: Zoe…
Find out more »The History Saga of Humans and the Environment at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Historic Annapolis present this story is about strategic location on a great estuary, human interactions with rich natural resources, and the founding history of the United States. It is an evolving story built around the science of archaeology and the inferences of oral and written history for the 2,650-acre campus of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), five miles south of Annapolis and 25 miles east of Washington, DC. It relies upon volunteer citizen…
Find out more »The Power of Individual Choice: What Can Individuals Do to Combat Climate Change & How Much Difference Will it Make?
The final presentation in a series of presentations on Climate & Sustainability by Sara Via, Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland. Because food, individual transportation and residential energy use cause at least 30% of US carbon emissions, individuals can make a difference when it comes to climate change! In this webinar, Dr. Via will discuss five ways to lower your carbon footprint by reducing residential energy use, covering the remaining power needs with renewables even if you don't have a suitable…
Find out more »Shaky foundations – The threat of losing ecosystem engineers to disease
Join Cafe Scientifique for this presentation by Dr. Allison M. Tracy, Community Ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Trees, oysters, and corals create homes for an impressive number of species by building habitat in the form of forests and reefs as they grow. They are known as foundation species because of their central role in creating ecosystems and supporting biodiversity. Unfortunately, foundation species face a number of threats that are challenging to manage, including climate change, invasive species, and…
Find out more »The Language of Butterflies: A Message of Hope
Science journalist Wendy Williams takes a look at the scientists, gardeners, naturalists and citizen scientists who have joined together to successfully decipher the secrets of butterflies in order to protect them. She shares surprising details like the unexpectedly intricate shapes of butterflies’ unique wing scales, the microscopic details of the butterfly proboscis, and even the biological tools that allow monarch butterflies to migrate south each fall. This is a presentation of the Smithsonian Institution's Earth Optimism series. Information & tickets
Find out more »Bird Brains: How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think
Jennifer Ackerman, author of the New York Times bestseller The Genius of Birds, discusses her investigation into the bird way of being and the recent scientific research that dramatically shifts our understanding of how birds live and think. In an illustrated talk drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, Ackerman explores the latest studies on the ingenuity of birds revealed in some of their surprising behaviors, research that is upending old ideas about what is normal in…
Find out more »The Outdoor Citizen: Becoming a Champion for the Natural World
What should our relationship to the planet look like when we finally emerge from our homes? In The Outdoor Citizen: Get Out, Give Back, Get Active, John Judge, president and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club, America’s oldest recreation and conservation organization, makes the argument that to preserve the environment, a revolution must take place in which every person becomes an advocate for nature and the outdoors. This is a presentation of the Smithsonian Institution’s Earth Optimism series. Information & tickets
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