2019 Spring Semester Theme: Sustainability

Many scholars refer to the last sixty years as the Great Acceleration, a period of rapid growth in population, resource consumption, landscape changes, and carbon and other forms of  pollution that are transforming the human relationship with the natural world.  These last sixty years have also been marked by tremendous social, economic and technological changes that have improved the well-being of much of the world’s population, though unevenly and inequitably. Responses to the changes and challenges have included individual efforts to live more sustainably; private sector initiatives to “green” business practices; community-level programs to create sustainable, just and resilient communities; national programs to promote sustainable development; international agreements and governance processes in support of sustainable development goals; and numerous proposed pathways to the deep decarbonization of energy systems. The Clarke Forum theme for spring 2019, Sustainability, will focus on many of these big ideas in sustainability, including debates about limits to growth; politicization and communication of science; climate change and social justice; indigenous knowledge; sustainable lifestyles; sustainable tourism; circular economies; arts and sustainable design; food waste; transnational food systems; the roles of technology; and public participation in science.

Events Related to the Theme

Monday, January 28, 2019
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Extractive Zones + Decolonial Praxis
Macarena Gómez-Barris, Pratt Institute

Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.
Wesley Lecture
Church of the Wild: A New and Old Way of Experiencing Spirituality
Beth Norcross, The Center for Spirituality in Nature

Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Resilience for All: Striving for Equity Through Community-Driven Design
Barbara Brown Wilson, University of Virginia

Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
An Evening with Writer Linda Hogan
Linda Hogan, poet and novelist

Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Soil Degradation as an Indicator of Global Change
José-Damian Ruiz-Sinoga, University of Malaga

Friday, April 12, 2019
Mathers Theatre, 7 p.m.
2019 Dickinson College Arts Award Ceremony
Donyale Werle – Scenic Designer and Sustainable Design Advocate

Monday, April 15, 2019 – *To be Rescheduled*
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Cooperatives and Building Community Wellness
Monica White
, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Thursday, April 18, 2019
The Cubiculo, 7 p.m.
Jack & Jill
Mark Blashford, Lanky Yankee Puppet Co.