The Environmental Roundtable series will focus on the transitions that the communities and businesses of Louisiana will navigate together to address climate change. Louisiana is a global energy hub at the center of active zero carbon technology development and deployment. Its communities are uniquely susceptible to the environmental impacts of climate change as well as the social impacts of a dramatic economic transition.

The series will explore the opportunities and issues associated with this transition and work to build understanding across the university and community. The series will explore the current status of international agreements and US industrial policy to develop and deploy new energy technologies. This will lead to the exploration of opportunities and issues associated with the transitions in energy and end-use sectors including the Hydrogen Economy, Decarbonizing the Electric Grid, Electric Vehicles, How Communities Respond, and Policy/ESG trends in government and business.

For more information, contact our Roundtable coordinators -- Jim Schott (mjschott@loyno.edu) and Anat Burger (aburger@loyno.edu)

Title of Talk: At the Intersection of Art, Faith and Activism: the Spiritual-Environmental work of South Louisiana "creatives"

When: April 25th

Time: 12:30 – 1:45 pm

Where: Monroe Hall 610

Zoom Registration Link: HERE

Presenters:

• Paris Cyan Cian - Interdisciplinary artist and educator

  • Paris Cyan Cian is a “movement architect,” interdisciplinary artist and educator who is currently an artist-in-residence at A Studio in the Woods. Steeped in New Orleans spiritual and cultural traditions, with a life-long background in dance, she works locally and travels widely to perform and lead workshops that foster personal, communal, and environmental awareness and healing. She has worked widely through organizations such as New Orleans’ Contemporary Arts Center, BlackGirlGeniusWeek/SOLHOT, and Dancing Grounds.

• Sharon Lavigne - Activist and educator

  • Sharon Lavigne is an activist and educator who founded the environmental advocacy group, Rise St. James. A resident of St. James Parish, Louisiana, she mobilizes grassroots opposition to the petrochemical industry surrounding the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, infamously known as “Cancer Alley.” Her activism has led to Lavigne’s being awarded the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize and the University of Notre Dame’s 2022 Laetare Medal.

• Kathy Randels - Founding Director of ArtSpot Productions

  • Kathy Randels is the founding director of ArtSpot Productions, a New Orleans theatre company that produces multidisciplinary performance events with both professional and amateur actors, including students and incarcerated persons. She is known for her theatre productions promoting greater awareness of environmental and social justice, as well as her founding of the Drama Club at LCIW (the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women).