Our Work Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow
October 15-17, 2025
Emerson’s Teach-In on Sustainability is an annual, college-wide exploration of how we can contribute to a sustainable tomorrow through communication, the arts, and the liberal arts.
Sustainability means meeting our present needs without compromising the needs of future generations. As reflected in the globally-shared Sustainable Development Goals, that means more than just solar panels and wind turbines. Sustainability encompasses all aspects of individual and societal well-being.
Here at Emerson, we’re on it. Across the College and around the world, Emersonians are contributing to a sustainable future in many ways, big and small, because we all have a stake in what’s ahead.
The Teach-In on Sustainability at Emerson College is designed to showcase the work, experiences, and ideas of our faculty, students, and alumni.
All session times listed in Eastern Standard Time:
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
6:30 - 10:00 pm | Eco-Cinema Screening: To Use a Mountain
Refreshments: 6:30-7:00pm
Screening & Discussion: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Presenters:
- Hunter Vaughan, Assistant Professor, School of Film, Television, and Media Arts
- Casey Carter, Filmmaker, Photographer, and Designer
Location: Bright Family Screening Room, Paramount Center
Description: Join filmmaker Casey Carter and MFA students of the Environmental Media Studies graduate seminar for a screening and discussion of To Use a Mountain, a documentary about six rural communities marked as candidates for an unthinkable fate: their land, a burial ground for 77,000 tons of nuclear waste. Against the impassive logic of government analysis and archives, a people’s history of resistance and stewardship emerges through a visceral journey across the landscapes, ecologies, and personal histories of the candidate sites.
Please note: This screening is open to the Emerson community only.
Sustainable Development Goals:
3: Good Health & Well-Being
15: Life on Land
16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Thursday, October 16, 2025
10:00 to 11:45 a.m. | Sustainability Communications to Make Meaningful Change
Presenters:
- Indigo Pinedo, Class of 2023
- Nejem Raheem, Professor and Chair, Department of Marketing Communication
Location: Walker Building, Room 529
Description: This class covers best practices in effectively communicating about topics such as how to promote climate-friendly technology or products, and how to better understand sustainability frameworks for communications professionals.
Indigo Pinedo, an Emerson Alum, will discuss their work on their graduate thesis: “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Rules the World: The Indigenous Matriarchal Approach for Food Systems Transformation in CFS Policymaking Processes.”
Additionally, they are an Academic Delegate for AUR to the World Food Forum at the UN FAO, producing a documentary on youth community experiences of dietary transitions, food environments, and food loss.
Sustainable Development Goals:
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. | Panel Discussion: The Role of Sports in Social Change
Presenters:
- Olga Khokhryakova, PhD Candidate in Sport Management at Louisiana State University
- Niko Emack, Affiliated Faculty, Communication Studies
- Steph Smyrl, Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Director of Athletics
Location: The Judee, Student Performance Center, Little Building
Description: Moderated by Department of Marketing Communication Chair and Professor, Nejem Raheem, this panel will answer how sports can help to create inclusive communities and achieve positive social impacts, both on a global scale and right here at Emerson. Attendees will also learn the impacts that Emerson students and alumni have in the athletics industry, and how they can connect their work to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Development Goals:
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. | Plagues & Pandemics
Presenters:
- Lindsay B. LeClair MS, MPH, CIYT, Public Health and Nutrition Policy Researcher
- Jamie Lichtenstein, Senior Affiliated Faculty, Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies
Location: Beard Room, Piano Row Room 202
Description: How do public health professionals study a virus they know nothing about yet? How do they know if a vaccine is effective? This lecture will discuss how teams of researchers partnered together to figure out how to study COVID and other respiratory infections in vulnerable populations, including health care professionals, frontline and essential workers; children, and the elderly.
Sustainable Development Goals:
2:00 - 3:15 p.m. | Inter~weaving Sustainability Narratives: A Student Reading and Discussion
Presenters:
- Kalan Cordell, MFA Candidate, Fiction
- Danielle Marston, MFA Candidate, Fiction
- Kathryne McCann, MFA Candidate, Fiction
- Emma Ross, MFA Candidate, Fiction
Moderator: Christine Casson, Assistant Professor, Writing, Literature & Publishing
Location: Little Building, Room 226
Description: Four MFA students will read from their original work and discuss the promises and challenges of engaging an audience through compelling narratives that can positively impact sustainable environmental and social ways of being.
Sustainable Development Goals:
2:00 to 3:45 p.m. | U.S. Foreign Policy
Presenters:
- Alireza Raisi, Affiliated Faculty, Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies
Location: The Judee, Student Performance Center, Little Building
Description: Explore the U.S. impact on sustainable development goals at the global level.
Sustainable Development Goals:
4:00 to 5:00 p.m. | Keynote: Cassandra meets Kal-El: A Conversation on Climate Comedy
Presenter:
- Beth Osnes-Stoedefalke, Professor of Theatre and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado
- Matt McMahan, Assistant Professor of comedic studies, Department of Performing Arts and BFA in Comedic Arts
Location: Semel Theater, Tufte PPC
Description: Two mythic figures. Two cautionary tales. A conversation about storytelling, catastrophe, and how comedy may help.
Sustainable Development Goals:
Friday, October 17, 2025
11:30 to 1:00 p.m. | Workshop: Making Climate Comedy with Science Stand-up Comic Kyle Marian
Presenter:
- Kyle Marian, comedian, producer, science communications consultant, & former physical anthropologist
Location: Little Building, Room 231
Description: Join science comedian Kyle Marian for an interactive climate comedy workshop where you'll explore the power of using comedy to educate and engage audiences while getting an intro to translating your work and experiences into jokes, comedic stories, and sketches.
Sustainable Development Goals:
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. | Workshop: Climate Media to Empower Future Generations with Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick
Presenter:
- Suzie Hicks, award-winning media maker, author, environmental educator, and Emerson alum
Location: Little Building, room 229
Description: Learn how Suzie Hicks tailors climate communications to their audiences using science inquiry, social-emotional learning, and music through award-winning children’s series, Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick and Sprout. Hear Hicks walk through the show concept, curriculum, and episode design processes and participate in activities to craft your own creative and effective communications ideas.
Sustainable Development Goals:
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. | Workshop: Building a Healthy Working Life for Freelancers & Creatives
Presenters:
- Conor Biddle, Co-Founder at Onward, Creative Director at The People Platform
- Jordan Cipola, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Orbit Lane
Location: Little Building, Room 228
Description: Conor and Jordan have been designing a new platform called Onward (keeponward.com), which aims to provide wellness support for freelancers and professionals in the creative industries. This is a crucial aspect of sustainability, as …”the freelance and creative lifestyle, while lovely for many reasons, is a journey fraught with challenges both for your bank account and your mental wellbeing, particularly when just starting out. We plan on giving a workshop to educate students on the highs and lows of freelancing and how best to keep sane while building a sustainable working life. We'll approach the workshop with a wellness-first lens so that students can build healthy habits right out of the gate. By the end, our goal is for the students to feel they have plenty of tools at their disposal to join the workforce with confidence.”
Sustainable Development Goals:
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. | Workshop: Building a Just, Sustainable, & Peaceful Society with the Earth Charter
Presenter:
- Yao Xiao, Journalism and Marketing Communication Student, Class of 2026
Location: Little Building, Room 240
Description: Learn the basic foundations of the Earth Charter: a document with sixteen principles that enunciates the values and principles by which sustainable development can be achieved, building a more just, sustainable and peaceful society. Then, collaborate with fellow participants to apply these learnings to case studies, practicing sustainable approaches to everyday challenges. This workshop is led by Yao Xiao, a Journalism and Marketing Communication Student helping to develop a new Sustainability Communication major at Emerson.
Sustainable Development Goals:
3:00 to 4:00 p.m. | Hardcore Marketing Workshop: Marketing For The Non-marketer
Presenter:
- Michael Tucker, Senior Executive-in-Residence and Associate Chair, Marketing Communication
Location: Little Building, Room 228
Description: Hardcore Marketing is marketing for the non-marketer: An alternative approach to traditional marketing process that yields pro-level strategic insights and creative direction in a highly compressed timeframe. In this session we'll learn some basic Hardcore Marketing principles and how to employ them.
Sustainable Development Goals:
3:00 to 4:30 p.m. | Industry Insights: Now What? When Good Work becomes Bad Words
Presenters:
- Scott Clavenna, Co-Founder and CEO, Latitude Media
- Evan Chapman, Founder and Senior Director of Policy, Clean Tomorrow
- Alexander Kaufman, American writer & award-winning reporter covering energy, climate change, security, geopolitics, business, policy, and science
Location: Little Building, Room 231
Description: Moderated by MFA Film and Media Art student, Zayan Agha, this event will explore how Emerson alumni who represent a range of perspectives are approaching important sustainability work that is challenged in the political climate. Panelists will share their expertise in a 45-minute moderated panel, followed by 45 minutes of networking with student attendees.
We hope that attendees can take away what a career in sustainability can look like, the latest trends shaping this field, and how to remain dedicated to sustainable development in a range of different industries.
Sustainable Development Goals:
7:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. | Laughmageddon Comedy Show
Performers:
- Chocolate Cake City
- Stand Up in the Park
- Elizabeth Stone
- Graham Eiden
- Mara Escobar
Producer: Jayden Lopez, Comedic Arts ‘28
Location: SPC Black Box, Little Building Basement
Description: Join us for a comedy show featuring members of comedy troupes Chocolate Cake City and Stand Up in the Park as they respond to the prompt “It’s the end of the world as we know it”. The show will also include three stand-up performances from Emerson students, Elizabeth Stone, Graham Eiden, and Mara Escobar. Thinking quickly on their feet, comics had just 3 weeks to quickly prepare sketches and performances.
Sustainable Development Goals:
13: Climate Action