Pepperdine to Host Seventh Annual Climate Calling Conference

From Tuesday, April 4, to Thursday, April 6, Pepperdine’s Office of the Vice Provost and Center for Sustainability will present Climate Calling 2023: Student and Community Responses to Climate Change, a conference dedicated to exploring climate change, its consequences, and our moral calling to respond to growing concerns about the future of our planet. Multiple sustainability-focused events will be held on the Malibu campus throughout the week; details are provided below.

Climate Calling 2023 is led by a group of Pepperdine faculty members from diverse disciplines, and the event seeks to bring together students, faculty, and community members in a mutual effort to address the subject of climate change and to foster a more sustainable future. Topics will include species extinction, drought, flooding, marine impacts, sustainable food practices, and environmental justice and activism through a keynote lecture, student presentations, and on-campus activities.

The seventh annual Climate Calling conference is sponsored by the Malibu Library Speaker Series, the Office of the Vice Provost, and the Center for Sustainability.

Earth Day Fair
Tuesday, April 4 | 11 AM to 2 PM | Joslyn Plaza
Celebrate the planet with food and visit information booths staffed by environmental organizations from the University and the larger community. 

Climate Calling 2023 Student Research Presentations
Wednesday, April 5 | 3 PM to 5 PM | Biggers Family Courtyard (next to Elkins Auditorium)
Student researchers will present their climate-focused scholarly work in an academic poster session. These presentations are part of a spring 2023 course that includes a climate change component. 

Climate Calling 2023 Keynote Address: Dr. Britt Wray
Thursday, April 6 | 5 PM | Elkins Auditorium
The Malibu Library Speaker Series and Pepperdine University will jointly present a lecture, “How to Cope with Climate Anxiety: Saving the Earth and Saving Ourselves,” by Dr. Britt Wray, a groundbreaking researcher on the mental health effects of climate change. Dr. Wray will provide practical tips and strategies to productively deal with emotions, live with climate trauma, and strengthen communities in order to combat climate change together. She is the author of Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis, and an advisor to the Good Energy Project for climate storytelling and the Climate Mental Health Network. Dr. Wray’s keynote address will be followed by a book signing. Registration is not required.