Lectures
Invited Lectures
Participant: Lexus' The Darker Side of Green (West Hollywood, CA July 2010) Participated in debate on eco issues against filmmaker Phelim McAleer, moderated by comedian Andy Samberg
Presenter, Social Media and Social Activism: Poynter Institute Sense-Making Project (St. Petersburg, FL, May 2010)
Presenter at conference focused on the ethics and values emerging from new media. The Sense-Making Project is an initiative launched with Ford Foundation to help citizens make sense of the changing news environment.
Workshop Leader: Annual National Service-Learning Conferece (San Jose, California, March 2010)
Led workshop on "Conversation as Activism".
Keynote Speaker: GCSAA Education Conference (San Diego, CA, February 2010)
Participant: The Ford Foundation and The Paley Center for Media (Washington, DC, November 2009)
Roundtable discussion on the role of public media in sustainable systems design at the Center for Social Media at American University
Keynote Speaker: People to People International Global Youth Forum
Keynote speaker on global sustainability and youth activism, Arlington, VA (November 2009)
Keynote Speaker: KACEE Kansas Environmental Education Conference
Kenote speaker at the Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmnetal Education annual conferece, Lawrence, KS (November 2009)
Presenter: GCSAA Delegates Meeting
Presentation on greening golf to Golf Club Superintendents Association of America chapter delegates (October 2009)
Moderator: Seventh Generation Panel on Sustainable Palm Oil with Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation, Michael Besancon of Whole Foods Market and Mike Brune of the Rainforest Action Network, Boston, MA (September 2009)
Keynote Speaker: American College Personnel Association Annual Convention (March 2009)
Presented keynote on environmental justice and expanding the environmental conversation.
Keynote: Hallmark Trend Week (February 2009)
Presented on the various ways sustainability affects our lives within a 200-mile radius.
Panelist: The Commonwealth Club (December 2008)
Panelist at the Commonwealth Club of California (the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum) discussion “Bio-Debatable: Busting Through the Clutter of Eco Messages.”
Panelist: Investor's Circle Fall Conference (November 2008)
Panelist alongside Jurriaan Kamp, founder of Ode Magazine and Ben Goldhirsh, founder of Good Magazine. Addressed the changing shape of media in the wake of social networking, e-commerce and mobile applications, as well as the emergence of mission-oriented media as a viable business model in supporting social entrepreneurship.
Interviewer: Bioneers by the Bay (October 2008)
Moderator of conversation at Bioneers by the Bay annual gathering of environmental, industry and social justice innovators. Interviewed Van Jones, now Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Discussed the rising renewable energy industry and Jones’ green new deal.
Keynote: NAAEE Annual Conference (October 2008)
Delivered conference keynote, titled “Environmental Education, Action and Transformation,” at the North American Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference. The lecture focused on effective ways to bring the “outside in” and make environmental issues accessible, engaging and actionable for students. Will also keynote KAEE (Kansas Association of Environmental Educators) conference in October 2009.
Moderator: A Conversation About Children and Chemicals (October 2008)
Moderated a discussion on the impact of chemicals on childhood development as part of Seventh Generation, Inc.’s “Show the World What's Inside” campaign. The conversation was held at the Boston Children’s Museum and featured Jane Houlihan, Vice President of research at the Environmental Working Group, pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene and Courtney Loveman of Seventh Generation.
Panelist: Ed Rendell's Pennsylvania Women's Conference (October 2008)
Participated in the panel “Easy to be Green?” at the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women, hosted by Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women. The panel was moderated by Anne Crowley, Outreach Coordinator for the Audubon Society, and included Kathleen McGinty, the first woman to head the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Presenter: Interdependence Project (August 2008)
Presented, as part of the Interdependence Project’s “Sit Down, Rise Up” lecture series, on the environmental justice efforts of grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. The Interdependence Project is a non-profit organization that focuses on ways to extend the principles of mindfulness and meditation into the world via activism, the arts, media and community service.
Presenter: NASULGC Conference(July 2008)
Lectured with University of Kansas Provost Richard Lariviere and KU Visiting Artist-in-Residence Stacey Fox on social networking, at NASULGC—the nation’s largest highest education organization (now the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities—APLU). The 2008 conference focused on the theme “Navigating a Climate of Change.”
Keynote: Governor Sebelius’ Green Team Commemoration (July 2008)
Keynoted the inaugural gathering of Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ Green Team at the State Capitol.
Moderator: LOHAS Forum (June 2008)
Moderated a panel with Michael Besancon, Senior Global Vice President of Purchasing, Distribution and Marketing for Whole Foods, and Rand Waddoups, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy and Sustainability for Wal-Mart, discussing the two companies’ environmental initiatives and how sustainability is and should be measured within national corporations.
Presenter: LOHAS Forum (June 2008)
Presented with Bryan Welch, Publisher and General Manager of Ogden Publications, on “The Future of Green Media,” discussing how to successfully engage people in authentic environmental and social justice conversations, beyond sound bytes and media spin.
Moderator: Climate Group “Together” Campaign Launch (June 2008)
Participated in the launch of the Climate Group’s “Together” Campaign, alongside U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As moderator of the event’s press conference, focused the conversation on the necessity of uniting key change-makers and everyday citizens in climate action.
Keynote: Student Conservation Association (April 2008)
Delivered keynote lecture at the Student Conservation Association’s “EarthVision” Earth Day Conference, which engaged more than 500 student leaders in a collaborative effort with environmental authorities, elected officials, land management professionals, top scientists and others to craft action-oriented strategies to protect the planet.
Moderator: AIGA Greensburg Fundraiser and GreenTown Salon (April 2008)
Moderated conversation with Greensburg GreenTown co-founder and executive director Daniel Wallach and BNIM Architects Project Planner Stephen Hardy at the GreenTown Benefit sponsored by the Kansas City AIGA. The discussion focused on how people from different backgrounds came together under a common agenda to build a stronger community. The event was filmed and featured as part of Sundance Channel’s “The Good Fight” Web series.
Moderator: Clinton Global Initiative University (March 2008)
Moderated panel discussion at the first Clinton Global Initiative University, focusing on “Building the Groundswell for Change.” The panel included Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Michelle Moore of the U.S. Green Building Council and Adam Werbach, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S.
Panelist: Green Women in Design (March 2008)
Panelist at American Institute of Architects (AIA) Women and the Environment event, organized by Kira Gould, author of Women in Green, a leading text on feminism and design. Spoke about the need for environmental justice within the field of architecture.
Moderator: Society for Ethical Culture (February 2008)
Moderated and assembled panel exploring race marginalization within the environmental movement and how communities of color are disengaged from the larger environmental dialogue affecting their lives. The panel was filmed and featured as part of Sundance Channel’s “The Good Fight” Web series.
Presenter: National Association of Independent Schools Conference (February 2008)
Lectured at the NAIS annual conference, emphasizing need for environmental literacy in education. Screened segments from Sundance documentary series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.”
Keynote: Coop America Green Business Conference (November 2007)
Lectured at the Coop America Green Business Conference, urging attendees to help the media tell more complex and nuanced business stories.
Panelist: Maria Shriver’s California Women’s Conference (October 2007)
Panelist at the Women’s Conference, organized by Maria Shriver and the State of California. Spoke about environmental engagement alongside Terry Tamminen, director of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
Keynote: Bioneers by the Bay (October 2007)
Delivered keynote on the role of the media to empower and assist everyday citizens to forge democracy and create social and environmental justice and about consumers’ responsibility to think critically and ask questions of media.
Interviewer: Al Gore Live Earth for MSN (July 2007)
Interviewed former Vice President Al Gore for live streaming event on MSN.com. Discussed ways in which citizens could authentically engage in environmental action.
Plenary Speaker: CERES Conference (April 2007)
Participated in plenary at the CERES Conference, devoted to “Investors and Environmentalists for Sustainable Prosperity.” Presented alongside Jared Duval of the Sierra Student Coalition, Pete Griffin from ThinkMTV and Paul Gorman of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment on the challenges and possibilities for getting mainstream Americans mobilized around climate change.
Keynote: Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (June 2007)
Presented on the importance of communication about local economies and provided tools for implementation of sustainability messaging.