Download the Program and Supporting Material below
DESCRIPTION:
This panel will explore the significance of trees and forests in our daily lives and in the broader context of climate change. Why are the trees in our midst as important as those in the Amazon Rain Forest? Will global reforestation efforts have a gradual climate mitigation impact? What are the roles of arboretums, colleges and universities, and nonprofit environmental groups in promoting public awareness of the significance of trees and forests? How are tree and human histories intermingled? Speakers will include representatives of Green Legacy Hiroshima and the Holden Forests & Gardens. The mission of Holden, located in Northeast Ohio, is to connect “people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants, to inspire action for healthy communities.” Green Legacy Hiroshima, a nonprofit in Japan, promotes the stories of “caution and hope that the unique survivor trees of Hiroshima represent, recalling on the one hand the dangers of arms of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in particular, and on the other hand the sacred character of mankind and the resilience of nature.” Discussants from the departments of Biology, Environmental Studies, East Asian Studies, and Geology at Oberlin College, as well as community activists, will contribute perspectives and insights from their respective disciplines and frameworks.
Guest Presenters:
Nassrine Azimi, Co-Founder/coordinator of Green Legacy Hiroshima, and Senior Advisor, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Hiroshima, Japan
Connor Ryan, Researcher, Holden Arboretum/Cleveland Botanical Garden, Kirtland, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio
Sarah Kryker, Researcher, Holden Arboretum/Cleveland Botanical Garden, Kirtland, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio
Short Video Message by Watanabe Tomoko (Co-Founder of Green Legacy), Horiguchi Chikara (Arborist, Hiroshima), and Xin (Jenny) Luan (Shansi Fellow) on Green Legacy, April, 2020.
Discussants: Michael Moore (Biology, Oberlin College), John Peterson (Environmental Studies, Oberlin College), Steven Wojtal (Geology, Oberlin College), David Benzing (Emeritus Professor, Biology, Oberlin College, Kendal at Oberlin)
PARTNERS:
The symposium is sponsored by:
· Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE) Implementation Grant to Oberlin College from the Henry Luce Foundation
· Biology Department
· East Asian Studies Program
· Environmental Studies Program
· Geology Department
· Oberlin Shansi