ThoughtGallery.org > Earth Day 50: Virtual Kick-Off

Earth Day 50: Virtual Kick-Off

Watch out throughout the livestream event for special guests like Senator Elizabeth Warren + NRDC President and CEO & Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy + Actor Ian Somerhalder + Broadway Performers, including the cast of Jagged Little Pill + New York Attorney General Letitia James + Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt

For the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Day Initiative and March for Science NYC will demonstrate what we can do to empower one another and connect with people around the world to make positive steps forward, even when circumstances on the ground make it difficult to be with each other in person. In this uncertain time, we are using the technology and tools available to us to demonstrate what activism can look like in the 21st Century. FREE!

PART 1 – 4:10-5:00 pm: Public Health & the Climate Crisis
Join experts on public health and infectious disease as they talk about these issues in the context of a changing climate.
Featuring a panel on infection disease with:
Benhur Lee, Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Celine Gounder, Host and Producer of American Diagnosis / Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Harlan Pruden, Educator at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control’s Chee Mamuk program
moderated by Jessie Bluedorn, Sunrise Movement
With speeches and live Q&A from:
Ali Khan, Dean of the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, former Assistant Surgeon General
Laura Anderko, Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment

PART 2 – 5:00-5:45 pm: Food Security & the Climate Crisis
Join our experts as they discuss how the climate crisis affects food security, and its impact on our communities.
Featuring a panel on food security with:
Karen Washington, Food Justice Advocate and founder of Rise & Root Farm
Sonali McDermid, Climate Scientist and contributing author to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land
David Kanter, Vice-Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative
moderated by Ray Figueroa, Urban Agriculture Consultant and President of the New York City Community Garden Coalition
With a speech and live Q&A from:
Asmeret Asefar Berhe, Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, “On the need to center soil and equity in our fight against climate change”
And a demo on vertical, sustainable farming by Urban Food Labs!

PART 3 – 5:45-6:20 pm: Mental Health & the Climate Crisis
Join our experts as they discuss how the climate crisis affects mental health, and why this growing issue deserves our attention.
Featuring a speech and live Q&A from:
Britt Wray, science writer, broadcaster, and speaker researching the intersection between the climate crisis and mental health
Neuroscience demos from:
MiNDS: “What decision-making during crises looks like in the brain”
BraiNY: “Heart-rate variability (a measure of parasympathetic nervous system activity) before and after a breathing exercise”
And a live, deep-breathing meditation session led by:
Luisa Ancona, Daya Yoga instructor
6:20-6:50 pm: HALFTIME SHOW
You’ve seen him in his roles as Vice President, Presidential candidate, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and host of Caveat Theater’s “An Inconvenient Talk Show.” That’s right; we’re talking about Al Gore, played by Brooklyn comedian and climate science grad student Rollie Williams. Join Al as he takes us through the history of the climate crisis.
Then join the folks at Climate Clock to find out more about their work to “synchronize our watches,” so that the world can see how much time is left to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.
And watch out for Broadway performances by the company of Jagged Little Pill, Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Beth Malone (Tony and Grammy nominee, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Fun Home), Ciara Renée (Frozen), James Snyder (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Mara Davi (A Chorus Line, Smash), and Alexandra Socha (Head Over Heels, Spring Awakening)!

PART 4 – 6:50-8:20 pm: Climate & Our Communities
So you’ve heard from the experts on how climate change can affect our physical and mental health, as well as our food security. Now let’s see how we can fight this together!
Featuring speeches and live Q&A from:
Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech Climate Director and UN Champion of the Earth
Q&A moderated by Emily Atkin, climate journalist and founder of HEATED
Lubna Ahmed, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Q&A moderated by Zinhle Essamuah, host and correspondent at NowThis
Live panels and conversations covering:
Youth Activism and Polluters Out
Ayisha Saddiqa, co-founder, Polluters Out
Climate Activism and Frontline Communities
Kei Williams, Organizer with People’s Climate Movement, Black Lives Matter, and Marsha P. Johnson Institute
Lee Bitsóí, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant
Omar Gowayed (moderator), Co-Chair of March for Science NYC
Divestment from Fossil Fuels
Jayson Toweh, Harvard Forward candidate
Danielle Strasburger, co-founder and campaign manager of Harvard Forward
Lyna Hinkel (moderator), founder of 350NYC
Scientific Community and Creative Storytelling
Valentino Vettori, founder of Arcadia Earth
Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global Foundation
Activism Workshops from:
350NYC : What does it mean to be an activist? Followed by live Q&A
Extinction Rebellion NYC : What is Nonviolent Direct Action?

PART 5 – 8:20-10:00 pm: Climate Science & the Green New Deal
Hear more from climate scientists and energy experts on solutions to the climate crisis, and join the discussion on policies needed to implement these solutions.
Featuring speeches and live Q&A from:
Kate Marvel, Climate Scientist at Columbia University and NASA GISS, writer and storyteller
Q&A Moderated by Lucy Biggers, host and correspondent at NowThis
Live panels and conversations covering:
Climate Science and Policy
Rollie Williams (as Al Gore), Comedian, climate science grad student, and host of “An Inconvenient Talk Show” at Caveat Theater
Geoffry Supran, Scientist, Activist, ExxonMobil Whistleblower
The Green New Deal and Drawdown Solutions
Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at UCSB
Chad Frischmann, Vice President and Research Director of Project Drawdown
Jonathan Rose, Urban Planner, Founder of Jonathan Rose Companies
Jeffrey Gracer, Domestic and International Environmental Lawyer
John Oppermann (Moderator), Executive Director of Earth Day Initiative
The Doomsday Clock
Rachel Bronson, President and CEO of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Manager of the Doomsday Clock
Workshops by:
Kendra Kreuger: DIY CO2 Sensors and Citizen Science
Cynthia Leung: Climate Education Bill in NYS, Youth Activism











When: Sun., Apr. 19, 2020 at 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Watch out throughout the livestream event for special guests like Senator Elizabeth Warren + NRDC President and CEO & Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy + Actor Ian Somerhalder + Broadway Performers, including the cast of Jagged Little Pill + New York Attorney General Letitia James + Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt

For the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Day Initiative and March for Science NYC will demonstrate what we can do to empower one another and connect with people around the world to make positive steps forward, even when circumstances on the ground make it difficult to be with each other in person. In this uncertain time, we are using the technology and tools available to us to demonstrate what activism can look like in the 21st Century. FREE!

PART 1 – 4:10-5:00 pm: Public Health & the Climate Crisis
Join experts on public health and infectious disease as they talk about these issues in the context of a changing climate.
Featuring a panel on infection disease with:
Benhur Lee, Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Celine Gounder, Host and Producer of American Diagnosis / Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Harlan Pruden, Educator at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control’s Chee Mamuk program
moderated by Jessie Bluedorn, Sunrise Movement
With speeches and live Q&A from:
Ali Khan, Dean of the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, former Assistant Surgeon General
Laura Anderko, Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment

PART 2 – 5:00-5:45 pm: Food Security & the Climate Crisis
Join our experts as they discuss how the climate crisis affects food security, and its impact on our communities.
Featuring a panel on food security with:
Karen Washington, Food Justice Advocate and founder of Rise & Root Farm
Sonali McDermid, Climate Scientist and contributing author to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land
David Kanter, Vice-Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative
moderated by Ray Figueroa, Urban Agriculture Consultant and President of the New York City Community Garden Coalition
With a speech and live Q&A from:
Asmeret Asefar Berhe, Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, “On the need to center soil and equity in our fight against climate change”
And a demo on vertical, sustainable farming by Urban Food Labs!

PART 3 – 5:45-6:20 pm: Mental Health & the Climate Crisis
Join our experts as they discuss how the climate crisis affects mental health, and why this growing issue deserves our attention.
Featuring a speech and live Q&A from:
Britt Wray, science writer, broadcaster, and speaker researching the intersection between the climate crisis and mental health
Neuroscience demos from:
MiNDS: “What decision-making during crises looks like in the brain”
BraiNY: “Heart-rate variability (a measure of parasympathetic nervous system activity) before and after a breathing exercise”
And a live, deep-breathing meditation session led by:
Luisa Ancona, Daya Yoga instructor
6:20-6:50 pm: HALFTIME SHOW
You’ve seen him in his roles as Vice President, Presidential candidate, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and host of Caveat Theater’s “An Inconvenient Talk Show.” That’s right; we’re talking about Al Gore, played by Brooklyn comedian and climate science grad student Rollie Williams. Join Al as he takes us through the history of the climate crisis.
Then join the folks at Climate Clock to find out more about their work to “synchronize our watches,” so that the world can see how much time is left to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.
And watch out for Broadway performances by the company of Jagged Little Pill, Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Beth Malone (Tony and Grammy nominee, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Fun Home), Ciara Renée (Frozen), James Snyder (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Mara Davi (A Chorus Line, Smash), and Alexandra Socha (Head Over Heels, Spring Awakening)!

PART 4 – 6:50-8:20 pm: Climate & Our Communities
So you’ve heard from the experts on how climate change can affect our physical and mental health, as well as our food security. Now let’s see how we can fight this together!
Featuring speeches and live Q&A from:
Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech Climate Director and UN Champion of the Earth
Q&A moderated by Emily Atkin, climate journalist and founder of HEATED
Lubna Ahmed, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Q&A moderated by Zinhle Essamuah, host and correspondent at NowThis
Live panels and conversations covering:
Youth Activism and Polluters Out
Ayisha Saddiqa, co-founder, Polluters Out
Climate Activism and Frontline Communities
Kei Williams, Organizer with People’s Climate Movement, Black Lives Matter, and Marsha P. Johnson Institute
Lee Bitsóí, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant
Omar Gowayed (moderator), Co-Chair of March for Science NYC
Divestment from Fossil Fuels
Jayson Toweh, Harvard Forward candidate
Danielle Strasburger, co-founder and campaign manager of Harvard Forward
Lyna Hinkel (moderator), founder of 350NYC
Scientific Community and Creative Storytelling
Valentino Vettori, founder of Arcadia Earth
Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global Foundation
Activism Workshops from:
350NYC : What does it mean to be an activist? Followed by live Q&A
Extinction Rebellion NYC : What is Nonviolent Direct Action?

PART 5 – 8:20-10:00 pm: Climate Science & the Green New Deal
Hear more from climate scientists and energy experts on solutions to the climate crisis, and join the discussion on policies needed to implement these solutions.
Featuring speeches and live Q&A from:
Kate Marvel, Climate Scientist at Columbia University and NASA GISS, writer and storyteller
Q&A Moderated by Lucy Biggers, host and correspondent at NowThis
Live panels and conversations covering:
Climate Science and Policy
Rollie Williams (as Al Gore), Comedian, climate science grad student, and host of “An Inconvenient Talk Show” at Caveat Theater
Geoffry Supran, Scientist, Activist, ExxonMobil Whistleblower
The Green New Deal and Drawdown Solutions
Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at UCSB
Chad Frischmann, Vice President and Research Director of Project Drawdown
Jonathan Rose, Urban Planner, Founder of Jonathan Rose Companies
Jeffrey Gracer, Domestic and International Environmental Lawyer
John Oppermann (Moderator), Executive Director of Earth Day Initiative
The Doomsday Clock
Rachel Bronson, President and CEO of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Manager of the Doomsday Clock
Workshops by:
Kendra Kreuger: DIY CO2 Sensors and Citizen Science
Cynthia Leung: Climate Education Bill in NYS, Youth Activism

Buy tickets/get more info now