The BYU Sustainability Office collaborated with Campus Conversations to host "Climate and the Spoken Word," an evening of open conversation about climate change on Sept. 23.
This event was a part of Green Week, where the Sustainability Office hosts different stewardship-focused activities throughout the week. The Sustainability Office has hosted Green Week every semester for the past five years.
"I think when we share the things that we do that contribute to living in a more sustainable society, it inspires other people and... gets the cogs turning in other people's minds about those issues," Gabe Mills, Sustainability Office transportation lead, said.
Mills said Green Week this semester focused on hands-on activities. He said the Sustainability Office wanted to also include an opportunity for conversation.
The event organizers gathered the attendees into small groups where facilitators led discussions on climate change.
"I love talking about really hard topics with people and hearing all sides of the argument," Ellie Gardner, Campus Conversations facilitator, said. "I think it's valuable that we have these conversations to open perspective and to value others."
Gardner led a group of students in an open conversation. The students came from a variety of majors and attended the event for different reasons. Some had come because of their interest in sustainability, others came because a friend invited them and some came because they saw the poster in the Wilkinson Student Center.
First, Gardner instructed the group to listen to understand, be respectful and to be authentic. Then the group introduced themselves and discussed their ideas on various sustainability issues. Gardner gave each person a paper with questions to guide the conversation.
"Even though we were strangers, we gained understanding, we gained mutual respect and I think we gained a sense of belonging," Bremen Leak, Sustainability Office associate director and participant in Gardner's discussion group, said.
Leak said it's important for BYU students to have these conversations.
"I don't think that BYU students can shy away from the challenge. I think BYU students are bold; they're brave," Leak said. "They've come from all over the world; they've served all over the world in really challenging places. So I don't think that we need to shy away from hard things."
Talking about difficult topics can sometimes make them less intimidating. Anna Peterson, Sustainability Office research lead, said people often find talking about climate change is simpler than they anticipated.
Conversations about sustainability can also be a way for students to connect over shared interests.
"I thought it was actually really fun to be able to see that there's other people who are passionate about sustainability and to be able to pass around ideas about what we can do to improve," Sean Perry, who attended the event, said.
Students can get involved with the Sustainability Office by visiting their website or following them on social media.