Teach-In on Sustainability Fall 2025

 2025 Teach-In on Sustainability

Welcome to the 2025 Teach-In on Sustainability Resource Guide! Use the navigation on the left to find books, ebooks, DVDs, and streaming video related to each of this semesters' panels and presentations. Visit the official Teach-In on Sustainability website for more information on the goals of the Teach-In as well as the sessions. 

Our Work Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow

October 15-17, 2025

In 2015, the United Nations introduced 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint for a better, more sustainable future for all. 

Here at Emerson, we’re on it. Across the College and around the world, Emersonians are contributing to a better future in many ways, big and small, because we all have a stake in what’s ahead. The Teach-In on Sustainability at Emerson College is designed to showcase the work, experiences, and ideas of our faculty, students, and alumni.

Wednesday, October 15

• 6:30 - 10:00 pm EST | Eco-Cinema Screening: To Use A Mountain |

  oin filmmaker Casey Carter and MFA students of the Environmental Media Studies graduate seminar for a screening and discussion of To Use a Mountain, a documentary about six rural communities marked as candidates for an unthinkable fate: their land, a burial ground for 77,000 tons of nuclear waste. Against the impassive logic of government analysis and archives, a people’s history of resistance and stewardship emerges through a visceral journey across the landscapes, ecologies, and personal histories of the candidate sites.

  Please note: This screening is open to the Emerson community only.

  Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all age
  Sustainable Development Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
  Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Thursday, October 16 

• 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m EST | Environmental Justice and Climate Change | When decisions are made about sustainability or climate change strategies, or siting of polluters, the worst consequences often fall on poorer, working-class and minority communities that do not have much political clout. The Conservation Law Foundation in Boston is a non-profit organization of lawyers and others who work to try to level the playing field for these neighborhoods, defined in federal law as “environmental justice” communities.  Their job is increasingly difficult during the current federal administration, where even the EPA has declared climate change as a fraud and penalizes any attempts at justice for minorities.
  Three speakers will join our Environmental Reporting class by Zoom to talk about their work in these communities around Boston, and the successes or failures they are having. In addition, they can address the issue about how to communicate over climate change and environmental justice when both terms are rejected by the current federal government.

  Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
  Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

  10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST | Sustainability Communications to Make Meaningful Change | Equipped with a PhD and an adorable authentic Bristol accent, Matt does stand up about his "...unhinged take on the world," and also about science. The Teach In staff found Matt doing standup about badgers at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and he'll be focusing on his badger bit for this event. Matt will talk about using comedy for impact, about the glory and importance of badgers, and about being English (probably). 

  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
  Sustainable Development Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST | Panel Discussion: The Role of Sports in Social Change | Moderated by Department of Marketing Communication Chair and Professor, Nejem Raheem, this panel will answer how sports can help to create inclusive communities and achieve positive social impacts, both on a global scale and right here at Emerson. Attendees will also learn the impacts that Emerson students and alumni have in the athletics industry, and how they can connect their work to the Sustainable Development Goals.
  Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
  Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
   
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. EST | How do we Learn About Modern Pandemics? |How do public health professionals study a virus they know nothing about yet? How do they know if a vaccine is effective? This lecture will discuss how teams of researchers partnered together to figure out how to study COVID and other respiratory infections in vulnerable populations, including health care professionals, frontline and essential workers; children, and the elderly.

  Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
  Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.

• 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. EST | Inter~weaving Sustainability Narratives: A Student Reading and Discussion | Four MFA students will read from their original work and discuss the promises and challenges of engaging an audience through compelling narratives that can positively impact sustainable environmental and social ways of being.
  Sustainable Development Goal 2: Waste less food and support local farmers
  Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
  Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
  Sustainable Development Goal 5: Empower women and girls and ensure their equal rights.
  Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
  Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources.
  Sustainable Development Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
  Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

• 2:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. EST | U.S. Foreign Policy | Explore the U.S. impact on sustainable development goals at the global level.
  This session focuses on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

• 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST | Keynote: Cassandra meets Kal-El: A Conversation on Climate Comedy |Two mythic figures. Two cautionary tales. In this playful keynote, Beth Osnes-Stoedefalke (University of Colorado) joins Emerson’s Matt McMahan (Comedic Studies) to explore how myth and comedy can re-story the climate crisis. Through the lenses of Cassandra and Superman (yes—costumes included), they unpack how narratives bias our expectations, why doom can stall action, and how humor opens imaginative, generative paths forward. Featuring real-world “climate comedy” examples and audience Q&A.
  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Friday, October 17

• 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST | Workshop: Making Climate Comedy with Science Stand-up Comic Kyle Marian | Join science comedian Kyle Marian for an interactive climate comedy workshop where you'll explore the power of using comedy to educate and engage audiences while getting an intro to translating your work and experiences into jokes, comedic stories, and sketches.

  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST | Workshop: Climate Media to Empower Future Generations with Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick | Learn how Suzie Hicks tailors climate communications to their audiences using science inquiry, social-emotional learning, and music through award-winning children’s series, Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick and Sprout. Hear Hicks walk through the show concept, curriculum, and episode design processes and participate in activities to craft your own creative and effective communications ideas.
  Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST | Workshop: Building a Healthy Working Life for Freelancers & Creatives | Conor and Jordan have been designing a new platform called Onward (keeponward.com), which aims to provide wellness support for freelancers and professionals in the creative industries. This is a crucial aspect of sustainability, as …”the freelance and creative lifestyle, while lovely for many reasons, is a journey fraught with challenges both for your bank account and your mental wellbeing, particularly when just starting out. We plan on giving a workshop to educate students on the highs and lows of freelancing and how best to keep sane while building a sustainable working life. We'll approach the workshop with a wellness-first lens so that students can build healthy habits right out of the gate. By the end, our goal is for the students to feel they have plenty of tools at their disposal to join the workforce with confidence.”
  Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
  Sustainable Development Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

• 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST | Workshop: Building a Just, Sustainable, & Peaceful Society with the Earth Charter |   Learn the basic foundations of the Earth Charter: a document with sixteen principles that enunciates the values and principles by which sustainable development can be achieved, building a more just, sustainable and peaceful society.  Then, collaborate with fellow participants to apply these learnings to case studies, practicing sustainable approaches to everyday challenges. This workshop is led by Yao Xiao, a Journalism and Marketing Communication Student helping to develop a new Sustainability Communication major at Emerson.
  This session focuses on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
   
• 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST | Hardcore Marketing Workshop: A Short Course in Marketing for the Non-Marketer |  Hardcore Marketing is marketing for the non-marketer: An alternative approach to traditional marketing process that yields pro-level strategic insights and creative direction in a highly compressed timeframe. In this session we'll learn some basic Hardcore Marketing principles and how to employ them.
  Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
   
• 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST | Industry Insights: Now What? When Good Work becomes Bad Words | 

  Moderated by MFA Film and Media Art student, Zayan Agha, this event will explore how Emerson alumni who represent a range of perspectives are approaching important sustainability work that is challenged in the political climate. Panelists will share their expertise in a 45-minute moderated panel, followed by 45 minutes of networking with student attendees. 
  We hope that attendees can take away what a career in sustainability can look like, the latest trends shaping this field, and how to remain dedicated to sustainable development in a range of different industries.  
  Register for this event on Handshake.
  Sustainable Development Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
  Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
  Sustainable Development Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

  7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST | Laughmageddon Comedy Show | Join us for a comedy show featuring members of comedy troupes Chocolate Cake City and Stand Up in the Park as they respond to the prompt “It’s the end of the world as we know it”. The show will also include three stand-up performances from Emerson students, Elizabeth Stone, Graham Eiden, and Mara Escobar. Thinking quickly on their feet, comics had just 3 weeks to quickly prepare sketches  and performances. 

  Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.