Miami, Oct. 10, 2016 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Earth Ethics Institute will present an Urban Resiliency Symposium at MDC’s Wolfson Campus Thursday & Friday, Oct. 13-14, FREE and open to students, faculty and the general public. This two-day event features prominent guest speakers from local organizations working on environmental and social issues impacting our community. Students will be engaged in finding solution-oriented approaches to addressing today’s pressing problems, including health and nutrition in low income communities, the implications of a changing climate, urban planning and transportation issues, and more.
Symposium events include:
Thurs. Oct. 13, 8:25 – 9:40 a.m.
Danni Washington, Big Blue and You
Adventures in Science and Conservation Media
Washington is co-founder of the Big Blue & You, an organization dedicated to inspiring and educating youth about marine conservation through the arts and media. Danni has served as an on-camera personality and filmmaker for various K-12 educational videos, multimedia and TV series focused on science and technology. She also co-created and produced Sea Youth Rise Up which engages youth in ocean conservation policy and advocacy.
Thurs. Oct. 13, 9:50 – 11:05 a.m.
Rachel Silverstein, Miami Waterkeeper
Living next to nuclear: FPL’s Turkey Point and Biscayne Bay
Silverstein is Executive Director of Miami Waterkeeper, an organization addressing sea level rise, water pollution, and ecosystem management through citizen involvement and community action. She holds several prestigious honors including Knauss Sea Grant Fellow, Professional Staff for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Miami Herald’s Visionary Award, UM Abess Center Reitmeister Award, the Diatom Award for excellence in environmental advocacy by the Mayor of Miami Beach, and was recognized as one of the top 20 best environmentalists in South Florida by the New Times.
Thursday, Oct. 13, 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Dan Kipnis, Fisheries Conservationist
Global Warming – Arctic and Ocean Changes
Kipnis, former charter captain, commercial fisherman and an ardent fisheries conservationist, has been presenting his compelling and enlightening programs on Global Warming, highlighting the detrimental effect the world’s continued fossil fuel use is having on our oceans and polar regions. Captain Kipnis has served on many committees and boards related to the environment and conservation.
Friday, Oct. 14, 9 – 9:50 a.m.
Jacquelyn Crucet, National Parks Conservation Association
National Parks as a Source of Resilience in Times of a Changing Climate
Crucet is the Sun Coast Outreach Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, a conservation advocacy organization, where she works on Florida Bay preservation, community/civic engagement initiatives, youth advocacy, parks access, and place-based learning.
Friday, Oct. 14, 10 – 10:50 a.m.
Asha Loring, Health in the Hood
Health in the Hood: Connecting Communities to Wellness
Loring is the Executive Director of Health in the Hood, a non-profit organization dedicated to building community gardens and providing health education in low income neighborhoods. Asha founded Health in the Hood after a six year tenure as an AmeriCorps Director, where she guided and sustained federal programming and funding to support non-profit organizational capacity building, leadership training, fundraising, event coordination, grant management and sustainably planning.
Friday, Oct. 14, 11 – 11:50 a.m.
Marta Viciedo, Urban Impact Lab
How Green Are We Really? A Look at the Impacts of Our Housing, Transportation and Urban Development Choices
Viciedo is co-founder and director of Urban Impact Lab which takes a multidisciplinary approach to developing creative strategies and solutions for urban problems. Urban Impact Lab works with foundations, nonprofits, private firms and community groups to collaboratively address Miami’s most pressing challenges, including climate resilience, transportation issues, and use of public space.
Additional activities TBA.
All events will take place at MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave., Building 7, Room 7128.
For a full schedule of events, please visit http://www.earthethicsinstitute.org/WolfsonHome.asp.
To RSVP or for more information, please contact awalker1@mdc.edu.