Earthstock 2022

 

Tuesday, April 12
Symposium: Global & Local Dimensions of the Plastic Crisis
7pm - 8:30pm
Zoom Registration is required for this event. 

Learn about the  plastics crisis' impact on climate, pollution, environmental justice and inequiality

Keynote Speaker:
Erica Cirino, the author of Thicker than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis.

Panel Discussion : 
Monique Fitzgerald, Brookhaven Landfill Action & Remediation Group (BLARG) & the Long Island Progressive Coalition.
Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, President, Brookhaven NAACP
Maria Gonzalez-Prescod and  Ana Fernandes, The Brentwood Community United Against Omni Waste Transfer Station.

* Sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies, the Safina Center, and the Humanities Institute of Stony Brook University. 

 

Monday, April 18
Lecture: Suffolk County Environmental Concerns
Endeavor Hall, Rm. 120
5:30pm

Suffolk County Legislator, Kara Hahn, will discuss the environmental challenges, concerns, needs and opportunities related in the local community and Suffolk County. Ms. Hahn has led the Suffolk County Environmental Committee and partners with local  community members and organizations to improve climate conditions throughout Suffolk County. She will share her first-hand experiences. 

 

Tuesday, April 19
Lecture: Annual "State of the Bays" Address: Watershed of Destiny 
Previously Recorded Lecture  on YouTube
4pm

On Long Island, our sole-source aquifer is our drinking water supply, and the primary source of freshwater, nitrogen, and other contaminants to coastal ecosystems.  Recent trends in the quality of both groundwater and surface waters on Long Island have been worrisome.  Emerging contaminants such as PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are entering drinking water supplies.  Nitrogen levels in groundwater have risen by more than 60% in recent decades and coastal ecosystems have degraded.  Emerging research indicates climate change processes will intensify many of these impairments in the near future, meaning rapid actions are needed to mitigate these events.  In good news, Long Island has become a wellspring for novel solutions to mitigate water quality impairment and climate change. ‘In the water’ remediation approaches involving seaweeds and bivalves can locally mitigate nitrogen loads, algal blooms, and ocean acidification, demonstrating that regenerative and restorative aquaculture is a viable economic and environmental solution for Long Island.  The New York State Clean Water Technology Center at Stony Brook University has identified cost-effective technologies to dramatically reduce nitrogen loads from individual homes and to coastal water bodies.  Implementation of such technologies coupled with ‘in the water’ solutions will be required to reverse the decadal negative trends in water quality and fisheries.

 

Panel: Energy Initiatives, Plans and Dreams for a Sustainable Campus
SAC 306 and available on Zoom 
4:00pm

Stony Brook University has embarked on major initiatives in smart energy technologies, development of biofuels, reduction of our carbon footprint, reduction or elimination of non-biodegradable wastes, recycling, conservation and protection of natural areas of photosynthesis (forests, grasses and other plantings).

This panel is made up of experts who are working at the research and application forefronts of new technologies, applications for energy savings, renewable electricity generation, healthy food production and storage, education and advocacy. The campus is working hard to meet the NYS Governor’s bold directive to become carbon free by 2050.

Moderator:   Malcolm Bowman, Professor of Oceanography and Distinguished Service Professor, School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences. Research interests: climate change, rising seas, storm surges, contemporary environmental issues and policies.

Panelists:

Devinder Mahajan,  Professor of Chemical Engineering, Director of Gas Research Institute, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Chemical Engineering. Research interests: bio-fuels, global clean energy discoveries, initiatives and carbon-free societies.

Terence Harrigan,   Associate Vice President. Campus Operations and Maintenance.  Clean energy initiatives and implementations, energy conservation and modernizing campus infrastructure, methodologies leading to a carbon free campus by 2050.

Van Sullivan, Executive Director of the Faculty-Student Association (FSA). Professional interests: Strategic vision and leadership with an emphasis on the continued development, refinement and implementation of “best-in-class” services to develop a rich and environmentally sustainable campus.

 

Wednesday, April 20
Experience: Ashley Schiff Park Preserve Guided Tour
Ashley Schiff Park Preserve entrance
1pm

The Ashley Schiff Preserve is a green gem of the Stony Brook campus. The Ashley Schiff Preserve dates back to 1970, when it was dedicated to Dr. Schiff’s memory, a former and popular Political Science professor. The Preserve sits on 28.2 acres of woodland in between the area of Roth Quad/Life Sciences and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). The signs ask visitors to “Take Only Photos, Leave Only Footprints.” Representatives from the Friends of Ashley Schiff Park Preserve will lead a guided tour and short hike through this beautiful ecosystem full of vibrant wildlife and vegetation.   The focus will be on the history of the Preserve, identifying prominent plant species and highlighting geologic features.

Meet at the entrance to the preserve located just off outer edge of Circle Road in between the Life Sciences parking lot and the Roth Quad entrance (Lake Dr.) For more information about the Preserve, please visit:  https://ashleyschiff.org/

 

Keynote Speaker: Celebrity Chef Barton Seaver
Charles B. Wang Theater
4pm

Celebrity Chef Barton Seaver will give a brief presentation about sustainable seafood, how our choices for diet and menus can promote healthier lifestyles, resilient ecosystems, more secure food supplies, and thriving communities.

Speaker: Barton Seaver, Celebrity Chef
An internationally recognized speaker, Barton has delivered lectures, seminars, and demos to a multitude of audiences. He has written seven seafood-centric books, including  For Cod and Country, Two If By Sea, American Seafood  and  The Joy of Seafood . Seaver has contributed to  Coastal Living, The Coastal Table, Cooking Light, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Fine Cooking, Fortune, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Saveur, the Washington Post , among many others. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, CNN, NPR, 20/20 and the TED stage. Seaver hosted  In Search of Food  on the Ovation Network and  Eat: The History of Food  on National Geographic TV.

 

Thursday, April 21
Experience: Sustainable Seafood Teaching Kitchen
Roth Food Court
12pm

Attendees will learn why sustainable seafood matters, seafood cooking techniques, sustainable practices and seafood in nutrition. Impress your family and friends with an easy to make recipe that you will learn in this hands-on workshop. Open to the first 12 students. 
Click here to sign up 
Sponsored by the Faculty Student Association

 

Experience: Sustainable Seafood Dinner*
Dinner served at East & West Side Dine-in. Dinner served at both East and West Side Dining. The first 50 guests at East Side or West Side dine-in will receive a Barton Seaver spice packet to try his recipes at home!
5pm

Meet and Greet with Barton Seaver at East Side Dine-in 
6pm  

Visit stonybrook.edu/dining for menu and additional details. 
Sponsored by the Faculty Student Association 
* Dining Dollars, Wolfie Wallet or credit card accepted for dinner

 

Experience: Sustainable Seafood Student Cooking Competition
East Side Dining
5pm

Do you have the best clam chowder recipe? Register your team to participate! Two teams of two students will be selected to compete. Members of the winning team will receive a Barton Seaver cookbook and $100 Dining Dollars each. Teams will be randomly selected to participate and notified by April 14.
Click here to Sign up
Sponsored by the Faculty Student Association

 

Friday, April 22
Experience: Signature Earthstock Festival
Academic Mall 

Environmental and Educational Displays and Exhibitors, 11am-2:30pm
Farmers Market , 11am
Live Music and Dance performances on two stages, 11:30am
Opening Remarks/Green Pledge Ceremony, 12:15pm
Rubber Duck Races, 2:30pm

 

Experience: UPD Spring Fest
Staller Steps
3pm

Fun field day games for students with the Stony Brook University Police Department 

 

Lecture: From Plankton to Whales - Why Our Local Waters Are Worth Protecting
Union 205-45 (in person)   - Zoom (streaming)
4pm

With endless stories and photos of fish kills, harmful algal blooms, oil spills, beach closures, etc. filling our daily news feeds, it appears that our environment is in a horrific state of “Doom and Gloom.” Although we do face many environmental challenges, this constant bombardment of negativity creates a lack of enthusiasm among local communities when it comes to protecting our environment. Regain your enthusiasm for protecting our marine environment by learning about some of the fascinating marine life that inhabits the waters of Long Island.

Speaker:  Christopher Paparo , Southampton Marine Science Manager
Born and raised on Long Island (New York), he has been exploring the wilds of the Island for over 30 years. As the owner of Fish Guy Photos, he is a wildlife photographer, writer and lecturer who enjoys bringing public awareness to the diverse wildlife that calls the island home. Chris'passion for coastal ecology, fishing and the outdoors led him to obtain a BS in Marine Science from LIU/Southampton and he currently manages the Marine Sciences Center at the Southampton campus of Stony Brook University. An award-winning member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New York State Outdoor Writers Association, he is a freelance writer for several fishing and wildlife related publications. Although his work tends to focus on marine life, everything in the natural world is fair game. Follow his adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube and TikTok at @fishguyphotos or by visiting my website at  www.fishguyphotos.com