Traister organizes webinar series on individual actions and environmental sustainability

MCLA’s annual Green Living Seminar Series begins on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and continues through April, presenting a series of virtual lectures on the theme of “Individual Actions and Environmental Sustainability.”  

Dr. Seth Wynes, a postdoc at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, will kick off the series with a talk titled ““Individual Actions and Climate Change: Which are most effective?” 

Green Living Seminar Series webinars are free and open to the public; community members can register at https://www.mcla.edu/mcla-in-the-community/events/greenliving-seminars/index.php.  

This 12-week series will explore how individual decisions can contribute to global sustainability. “Through these presentations, students and the broader public will have the opportunity to learn which individual actions have the greatest positive impact on the environment, and how to create systems and frame questions to encourage people to make sustainable decisions,” said Elena Traister, MCLA professor of environmental studies.  

The seminars will take place weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. from Jan. 27 to April 14. Future Green Living presentations include: 

February 3: “Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy,” presented by Rachel Fey, Senior Director of Public Policy at Power to Decide 

February 10: “Cycling for Sustainable Cities,” presented by Dr. Ralph Buehler, Professor and Chair of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University                                                                                                           

February 17: “Consumer Demand for Fuel Efficient Vehicles and the Role of Social Marketing,” presented by Dr. Lisa Watson, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Marketing at University of Regina 

February 24: “Factors that Influence Demand for Green Power,” presented by Lori Bird, Director of U.S. Energy Program and Polsky Chair for Renewable Energy at World Resources Institute                         

March 3: “Factors that Influence Electric Vehicle Adoption,” presented by Dr. Ona Egbue, Associate Professor of Informatics and Engineering Systems at University of South Carolina Upstate                                                                                         

March 10: “Framing Messages to Make Them Appealing,” presented by Dr. Nell Putnam-Farr, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Rice University 

March 17: “The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior,” presented by Dr. Christie Manning, Director of Sustainability at Macalester College   

March 24: “How Emissions Information Can Help Prompt Travelers to Purchase Greener Flights,” presented by Dr. Angela Sanguinetti, Research Environmental Psychologist at University of California, Davis

March 31: “Promoting Recycling Behaviors in Massachusetts,” presented by Dr. Jason Seacat, Professor of Psychology at Western New England University                                                                                                                  

April 7: “Factors that Influence Household Adoption of Energy Efficient Appliances,” presented by Dr. Chien-Fei Chen, Director of Education and Diversity & Research Associate Professor at University of Tennessee                                                                                                                      

April 14: “Individual Behavior and Global Environmental Problems,” presented by Dr. Elizabeth R. DeSombre, Camilla Chandler Frost Professor of Environmental Studies at Wellesley College 

Every semester, MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series hosts lectures by local, regional, and national experts organized around a central theme related to the environment and sustainability. The 2021 series is a presentation of the MCLA Environmental Studies Department and MCLA’s Berkshire Environmental Resource Center. 

For more information, go to www.mcla.edu/greenliving or contact Elena Traister at (413) 662-5303.