The coronavirus pandemic may have upended life as we know it, but there are a few things that haven’t changed, like the fact that it’s currently Earth Month at Arizona State University. To mark the occasion, Siobhan Lyon and Emmery Ledin, two members on the sustainability committee of the ASU staff council created the Earth Month Learning Series, a sequence of online discussions that are a part of ASU’s recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
“So many people at ASU are sustainability champions, so it was cool to tap into that and learn about how smart the people we have are,” said Lyon, a coordinator at the Memorial Union.
“It’s impressive that we can source this information from people who are passionate about sustainability and have become subject-matter experts in home gardening or eating sustainably,” said Ledin, a program coordinator with University Sustainability Practices.
The discussions are always led by ASU faculty and staff experts and are held via zoom from 12-1pm. Some of the topics so far have ranged from “Do I Really Have to Give Up Cheese? Sustainable Cooking and Eating to Fit Your Lifestyle” to “Produce Rescue — A Deliciously Ugly Truth” and “Backyard Gardening — 5 Steps to Growing Your Own Food.” In this period of social distancing, the webinars are a fun but effective way to bond while learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Upcoming talks include Dress, Eat and Rest Sustainably” on April 17; “The ASU Locust Project” on April 28, and “Environmental Policy in Your Backyard: A Snapshot of Maricopa County” on April 30.