To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, activists, scientists, politicians, and businesses around the world came together in virtual celebration. For the month of April, EFI participated in a range of online events, including interviews, panels, and webinars. Despite the ongoing prohibition on public gatherings, EFI communicated its Earth Day message to more than 100,000 people worldwide.
To kick off Earth Day week, EFI Founder Ernest Moniz participated in a virtual town hall on science, the climate crisis, and the coronavirus. The virtual town hall, hosted by World War Zero, was moderated by Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh and featured former Secretary of State John Kerry and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Over 7,000 tuned in live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
On April 22, EFI teamed up with the Aspen Institute’s Energy & Environment Program to organize Earth Day 2020: The Way Forward on Climate and Health. The event featured opening remarks from EFI Founder Ernest Moniz and was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Amy Harder of Axios. Panelists included Michael Greenstone, Director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago; Amy Luers, Executive Director of Future Earth; and Jacqui Patterson, Senior Director of the Environmental and Climate Justice Program at NAACP. Throughout the webinar, panelists called attention to systemic inequalities, environmental racism, and the need for social justice to address the health and climate crises.
Finally, PBS is airing Power Trip: The Story of Energy, a six-part documentary series by Michael Webber, EFI Distinguished Associate and Chief Science and Technology Officer at Engie. The documentary — based on Webber’s book of the same name — looks at how energy affects modern life through six lenses: water, food, wealth, cities, transportation, and war. EFI Founder Ernest Moniz makes several cameos throughout the documentary.
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