2023 Event Press Release
To celebrate Earth Day, several colleges within Arizona State University are working with community leaders to present the ‘Radically Reimagining the Human Relationship with Nature’ event, during which more than 150 guests will gather to explore new ways of crafting the human relationship with nature.
This free event is supported by Desert Humanities Initiative, the Institute for Humanities Research, the Humanities department at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. The Radically Reimagining initiative was created by Karen Bradshaw, professor of law at ASU Law and sustainability scientist at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, to build a coalition of sustainability thought leaders from across Arizona.
The event will gather a rich cross-section of Arizonans living in relationship with the natural world to co-create and imagine new ways of living sustainability. The attendees will include foresters, community leaders, artists, writers, farmers, musicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, stay-at-home parents, medical professionals and ornithologists.
The eco-friendly event will feature five community speakers, a ceremony for Arizona Sustainability Leadership Awards winners, a custom virtual reality experience by Dreamscape Learn at ASU, live bird exhibits from Liberty Wildlife Rescue, sustainability-themed cocktails by Garden Bar, and food reflecting Indigenous ingredients and traditions by Dii Iina Culinary. Ron Broglio, a renowned educator, author and scholar who was recently appointed the Director of the Institute for Humanities Research at ASU, will serve as master of ceremonies.
“Arizona has an incredible, bipartisan community of bold thinkers and doers. Ron Broglio and I created this gathering to bring together the most interesting people in the state working in the sustainability space to create conversations and connections,” said Bradshaw. “The
Reimaginers receiving the awards highlight leaders who are breaking the mold to do new and important work that will benefit generations of Arizonans.”
The Arizona Sustainability Award celebrates bold thought entrepreneurs delivering innovative sustainability solutions at a local level.
The 2023 Arizona Sustainability Leadership Award winners are:
Elvy Barton, forest health management principal with the Salt River Project
Elvy Barton is the architect of innovative land management solutions for sustainable forest health and watershed protection by facilitating stakeholder agreements.
Danielle Goldtooth of Dii Iina Culinary
Danielle Goldtooth educates Arizonans about sustainable food systems and traditional Diné (Navajo) farming practices through her catering business by creating culinary experiences featuring traditional and local foods.
Richard Morrison, philanthropist
Richard Morrison creates innovative approaches to Arizona water sustainability issues using collaboration informed by his life experiences as a former Navy fighter pilot, lawyer, farmer, businessman and Episcopalian priest. He is also a speaker at the event.
Hasrah Thomas, director of Realm 4 at Arizona State University
Hasrah Thomas directs an ASU team creating fully immersive and interactive virtual reality, which teaches concepts including ecology, sustainability, and biodiversity preservation through Dreamscape Learn.
White Tank Mountain Conservancy
The White Tank Mountain Conservancy works with conservationists, developers and cities to facilitate bipartisan solutions and balance impending development with environmental collaborations in order to preserve the wildlife habitat.
The International Earth Day event will be held on April 21 at the Liberty Wildlife Center in Phoenix. The event is invitation only. Any journalist interested in attending is welcome to contact Lindsay Walker, Communications Manager at ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at lindsay.a.walker@asu.edu
2022 Event Pictures & Press Release
On Earth Day 2022, two hundred Arizonans gathered to explore new ways of crafting the human relationship with nature at a local and state level. Radically Reimaging was designed to open attendees minds to new ways of thinking about how people can coexist with nature, animals, and one another. This bipartisan event was sponsored by Desert Institute for the Humanities at Arizona State University and hosted by Karen Bradshaw, author of Wildlife as Property Owners and ASU Senior Sustainability Scientist and Professor of Law.
The event gathered a rich cross-section Arizonans living in relationship with the natural world to co-create to imagine into being new ways of living sustainability. Master of Ceremonies Ron Broglio welcomed the group by saying: “I want to start by acknowledging what some of you are thinking: “I DON’T BELONG HERE.” I don’t belong because I’m not an artist. I don’t belong because I’m not an environmentalist. I voted for Trump. I like to hunt. I secretly hate bees. Trust me, if you are here, you belong. Everyone belongs.”
The group included foresters, artists, farmers, musicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, stay-at-home parents, senators, medical professionals, and ornithologists. Broglio said: “Every person in this group – and every person on this Earth – has a relationship with nature. We all depend on it for our survival. Limiting who ‘counts’ in environmental conversations closes the doors to solutions we desperately need.”
Guests learned from brief presentations by a diverse group of sustainability thought-leaders. Internationally acclaimed eco-political visual artist Lauren Strohacker is presenting digital wildlife imagery that invites attendees to conceptualize animals displace by the anthropocentric built environments. Katie Callaway, partner at the law firm Fennemore Craig, described how she is using her expertise in trust and estate law to create the first animal-owned yard in the United States. Justin Rohner, the founder and owner of the Arizona-based business Agriscaping, discussed how homeowners can grow healthy, fresh food in their yards as part of a broader vision of improving local food access and sustainability. Sound Artist and ASU Professor Lauren Hayes created an audio sound garden at the event, part of her site-responsive sonic art exploring the relationship between the living beings on a landscape.
The event feature the Arizona Sustainability Leadership Awards ceremony. The Arizona Sustainability Award celebrates bold thought entrepreneurs delivering innovative sustainability solutions at a local level.
Flora Tromelin, Founder and CEO of FCT Strategies and former Chief Protocol Officer for the U.S. Embassy in France and Monaco planned the event. Kim Haasarud, a James Beard acknowledged mixologist who created The Garden Bar concept is providing custom beverages featuring local honey. Acclaimed chef Jared Lupin is providing innovative appetizers and tastes constructed from locally sourced produce. The awards are custom-created, hand blown glass by Barrio Glassworks. Photographer Alex Shaw photographed the event. The event, drinks, and food were all considered artistic contributions with a sustainability focus.
“The purpose of this event is to co-create new visions for the human relationship with the natural environment.” Said Isaac Kort-Mead, the president of the Environmental Law Society at Arizona State University. “This event itself is an artistic experiment. We consider each guest here tonight a co-creator in a new way of thinking about how we think about our relationship with nature and the environment. Every Arizonan has a relationship with the natural world, whether they think about it or not. Expressing, exploring, and combining those visions is a perfect way to celebrate International Earth Day here in our state.”