Coastal Carolina University’s second annual Sustainability Symposium, hosted by the President’s Council for Sustainability and Coastal Resilience, will be held on campus on Tuesday, April 9. The day concludes with a Presidential Signature Series event, sponsored by Conway Medical Center, titled “An Evening with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.” Johnson will speak in Wheelwright Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. The day’s events are free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance for the Presidential Signature Series event.

“The Sustainability Symposium was conceived as a celebration of our shared successes, an opportunity to learn together, and a forum to strategize how we might achieve a sustainable future,” said Steve Harrison, CCU’s vice president for auxiliary enterprises and chief sustainability officer. “We are grateful to our sponsors and partners, students, faculty, and staff, and friends from across South Carolina for joining with us to reach for resilience.”

The symposium kicks off with presentations from the University’s 2023-2024 sustainability grant awardees. The grant advances sustainability-related initiatives and expands learning opportunities through course development, research, and co-curricular programming. Seven collaborative groups will deliver consecutive presentations in the Lib Jackson Student Union, showcasing their impressive work. The 2024-2025 sustainability grant awardees will be announced that evening during the Presidential Signature Series event.

Following the morning sessions, Caroline J. DeLoach, an authority on and voice for a societal shift toward a circular materials economy, will deliver an interactive talk titled “Understanding Eco-Anxiety: Seeking Your Optimal Impact Zone.” In this session, DeLoach explains her personal journey navigating eco-anxiety and debuts a new framework to fine one’s “optimal impact zone” – the type and cadence of work that allows advocates to take action in an emotionally sustainable way. The afternoon concludes with an interdisciplinary panel discussion, “Whose Backyard Matters? The Ethics of Environmental Justice.” In partnership with CCU’s Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values, the panel will discuss issues of environmental justice as they relate to Horry County and South Carolina.

Guest speaker Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, co-editor of the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, co-author of the Blue New Deal, co-creator of the podcast How to Save a Planet, and author of the forthcoming book What if We Get it Right? Visions of Climate Futures.

The President’s Council for Sustainability and Coastal Resilience invites all CCU faculty, staff, students, and community members to attend the full day of events and collaborate with people who are working at local, state, and global levels to spearhead a more resilient future. The symposium is sponsored by the President’s Council for Sustainability and Coastal Resilience, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, and the HTC Honors College.

Written by Rachel Abarbanell, Division of Auxiliary Enterprises