Planet Courage: Stories of Local Climate Heroes

Planet Courage: Stories of Local Climate Heroes Monday, August 31, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Parkway Ballroom (PSU 420) Open to all Mountaineers—both current students and alumni— are working together in inspiring ways to secure a resilient future, creating local benefits like health, jobs, innovation, and recreation while putting climate solutions strategies to work in our community. In this session, we’ll learn about the food-based, nature-based, and energy-based climate solutions being led by three local organizations: Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, Mountain True, and App State’s Renewable Energy Initiative. We’ll watch short video stories about their work and have some conversation with the filmmakers (bios below). “Planet Courage” aims to illustrate that everyone is capable of contributing to positive climate action, including storytellers! SPEAKERS Planet Courage is a project in partnership with Project Drawdown and is led by Matt Scott and Erik Douds. Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement, leads Project Drawdown’s climate solutions storytelling and community engagement efforts, helping everyday people connect more deeply with climate solutions. He is the founding director of Drawdown Stories, where he helps shape the organization’s storytelling and engagement strategy while working to pass the mic to people and communities who often go unheard in the climate space. Erik Douds is an adventure filmmaker and disability advocate producing films focused on underrepresented voices. With a background in international environmental policy, his skillset has taken him to nearly every continent.