Earth Week and Virtual Earth Day 50 at UW-Green Bay

A cross-University committee has compiled online Earth Week Events and educational resources as well as an online/virtual event on April 22, 2020, Earth Day 50 at UW-Green Bay. The day includes presentations and discussions from the University community, including live videos and panels to celebrate the 50th Earth Day, together, virtually for the Eco U community.

See all virtual opportunities.

Earth Day Events

Here is the current line up for Earth Day 50 at UW-Green Bay, Wednesday, April 22, 2020:

10:30 a.m. – Historical Perspectives on Earth Day, Panel Discussion with Faculty Emeriti

UW-Green Bay Prof. Emeritus H.J. “Bud” Harris (Biology and Environmental Science) 2020 Wisconsin Academy Fellow, Prof. Emeritus Robert Wenger (Mathematics and Environmental Science) and long-time collaborator with the School of the Environment at Beijing Normal University, Prof. Emeritus  Michael Kraft, (Political Science and Public and Environmental Affairs)  and U.S. environmental policy expert, Prof. Emeritus John Stoll (Economics and Public and Environmental Affairs) was as UW-Green Bay student at the time of the first Earth day and the co-founder of  Environmental Business & Management Institute (EMBI) and Prof. Kevin Fermanich (Environmental Science and Water Science) and soil and water resources extension specialist, serving as moderator.
Join the discussion via Blackboard Collaborate


Noon – A Virtual Nature Walk

Join Prof. Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges live on Facebook


1 p.m. – ‘Earth Talks’

  • Michael Draney, “My life with Earth Day”
    I was 2 ½ years old during the first Earth Day in 1970 so Earth Day and I have gone through life together. I want to reflect on how it’s doing as we enter our fifth decade together.
  • Vicki Medland, “Is nature slipping away?
    Earth Day was in part a response to an environment that the organizers no longer recognized. Today, we are shocked by what seems to be a sudden and massive loss of biodiversity and natural landscapes. Why do we not notice these massive changes to our environment?  
  • David Voelker, “Earth Day 2020 in Perspective”
    How can we understand the 50th Earth Day and the environmental movement that it helped launch in historical perspective, and in light of the Covid-19 pandemic?
  • Bill Davis, “A New Water Agenda for Wisconsin.”
    What would a system look like that could achieve our human health and ecology goal regarding water?
  • Kevin Fermanich, Moderator

‘Earth Talks’ Speaker Biographies:

  • Michael Draney is professor of Biology and chair of the Department of Natural & Applied Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
  • Vicki Medland is the Associate Director of the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and teaches courses related to environmental science and sustainability.
  • David Voelker is a Professor of Humanities & History at UW–Green Bay. He teaches courses in environmental history and humanities, and he is the program coordinator for the 2020 Common CAHSS conference, which will focus on the theme “Beyond Sustainability.”
  • Bill Davis is currently the senior legal analyst for the River Alliance of Wisconsin. He has worked in the environmental movement since 1987. He has an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Ecology and a law degree both from the University of Wisconsin. He has served as the executive director of three environmental advocacy organizations: Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade (now Clean Wisconsin), Citizens for a Better Environment, and the State Environmental leadership program.

Join the discussion on Blackboard Collaborate.


2 p.m. Sustainability in Action – What are you doing?

Guest speakers include Kevin Fermanich, Vicki Medland, John Arendt and Ericka Bloch
Join “Sustainability in Action” via Blackboard Collaborator

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