News (809)
Children categories
ES! Initiatives (74)
EarthSolidarity!™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
- minimize waste and environmental impacts
- increase community resilience
- respect and protect ecosystem processes and all forms of life
- contribute to good living conditions for everyone around the globe
- affirm and celebrate our interdependence and interrelatedness in the Web of Life!
Zoom in to biodiversity on the Oak Ridge Reservation
Mar 10 6 p.m.
Biodiversity on the Oak Ridge Reservation
Dr Evin Carter, Research Associate in the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public
The Oak Ridge Reservation supports remarkable biodiversity, including species and ecological communities absent or uncommon in surrounding areas. The Reservation is home to 26 state-listed threatened and endangered plants, 20 federally and state-listed animal species, with appropriate habitat for additional listed wildlife species. It contains seven registered State Natural Areas and has been recognized as an International Biosphere Reserve. Dr. Carter will share his knowledge and amazing photos of the Reservation.
https://zoom.us/j/94589800994?pwd=aUZobzJScnJBSzAraE41VklQTWhpQT09
Meeting ID: 945 8980 0994
Passcode: 705330
One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,94589800994#,,,,*705330# US (Chicago)
+16468769923,,94589800994#,,,,*705330# US (New York)
Adventures in investigating Mars using places on Earth
Feb 26 noon–1 p.m. EST
Anna Szynkiewicz, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
University of Tennessee Science Forum
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public - RSVP
Dr. Szynkiewicz will show how studies in Antarctica and New Mexico provide clues about past water activity on Mars.
After registering,
you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Chickamauga Lake cleanup
Mar 6 9 a.m.–1 p.m. EST
Cleanup at Chickamauga Lake of the Tennessee River
Possum's Creek, Harrison Bay State Park
Keep the TN River Beautiful with Chickamauga Fly, Bait, & Casting Club
Hands-on volunteer activity
Keep the TN River Beautiful coordinates with TVA, Keep TN Beautiful, TDOT, Keep America Beautiful, and Yamaha Rightwaters
For more information, call (865) 386-3926 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How disease changes evolution
Mar 5 noon–1 p.m. EST
Epidemics, Societies, and Math: How disease changes animal, including human, evolution
Nina Fefferman, professor in the UT Departments of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics
University of Tennessee Science Forum
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public - RSVP
Learn how evolution, despite risks of infectious diseases, reaped benefits from social contact and group organization.
After registering,
you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Male sparrows sang sexier tunes during lockdown
Mar 12 noon–1 p.m. EST
Songbirds Changed Their Tune During the Pandemic
Elizabeth Derryberry, associate professor in the UT Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Tennessee Science Forum
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public - RSVP
Dr. Derrberry’s study of white-crowned sparrow songs during lockdown received nationwide attention.
With noise pollution from traffic cut in half, white-crowned sparrows sang more softly, using tones more attractive to females.
After registering,
you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Become a Volunteer Forester
Mar 24 6–8 p.m.
Volunteer Forester Certificate Level One
Learn how to properly plant, mulch and prune trees
Trees Knoxville
The class will combine video instruction, 4 weekly Zoom meetings (Mar 24, 31, Apr 7, 14), and one 2-hour field day at a local park for hands-on training, which will follow The Arbor Foundation Covid best practices guidelines.
Virtual Volunteer Forester Registration
Class cost is $25. More information and financial aid available on the registration site.
Knoxville Neighborhood Conference
All the virtual content remains accessible
through Apr 3
The City of Knoxville's virtual 2021 Neighborhood Conference
Yearly neighborhood-focused event to connect neighborhoods & strengthen communities
Brought to you by the City of Knoxville's Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, in collaboration with numerous city and county departments
Engage with our community through the Virtual Convention Center Platform — FREE but registration is required
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference will be virtual but will include all of the aspects of our in-person conference from the comfort of your own home. You will be able to attend workshops, hear remarks from Mayor Kincannon, visit information booths and more.
Conference details and registration
Open to everyone—neighborhood leaders, members and participants of neighborhood organizations and any city resident interested in the quality of life in Knoxville’s neighborhoods.
Integrating economics and ecology
Mar 26 10–11 a.m.
Integrating economics and ecology for seasonal migratory species conservation
Dr. Charles Sims
Howard H. Baker Jr Center for Public Policy
Baker Cafe Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public
The Baker Cafe Series is an informal discussion about various topics. Guests are encouraged to ask questions that pertain to the topic and gain insight straight from the experts.
Species that migrate face different natural and anthropogenic threats than other species. Protecting migratory species poses unique policy challenges because survival depends on the migratory process's integrity through space and time.
Zoom meeting link
Register now for Drive Electric Earth Day event
Apr 10 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA), Ijams Nature Center, Drive Electric Tennessee (DET), East Tennessee Clean Fuels
Drive Electric Earth Day event in front of the Ijams Visitor Center
Owners of a variety of fully electric & plug-in electric vehicles will bring their cars, answer questions, and share their enthusiasm for driving electric.
Literature & information will be available, along with panel discussions on electric vehicle topics. Expected vehicles include: Tesla models 3, Y, S & X, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt & Volt, Zero motorcycle, and Honda Insight (conversion). More will be added as details develop.
Free and open to the public but due to limited admission, advance registration is required
A series of short presentations/discussions will offer visitors a chance to learn more about specific topics such as EV benefits, tax rebates and purchase incentives, EVs coming in 2021-2022, batteries and charging, used EVs, and road trips.
Register now
COVID-19 safety restrictions will be followed for this event and masks will be required to enter the electric vehicle area.
Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act webinar
Watch the webinar recording of
Apr 1 8 p.m.
Reintroduction of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Citizens' Climate Lobby
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public
Today the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2021 has been reintroduced into the House by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22) and 28 original cosponsors. Tune in to learn the updates and details.
Choose your own adventure in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness
Written by Tracy Haun Owens
Not all of the Knoxville Urban Wilderness is true wilderness, of course. This monoculture field of sunflowers planted at the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area does, however, attract lots of wildlife. Courtesy Visit Knoxville
Spring study to quantify visitation, economic impact
“It’s something special for Knoxville and defines us as a recreational community,” said city Deputy Chief of Economic and Community Development Rebekah Jane Justice. She was named the city’s first Urban Wilderness Coordinator in July 2017, and is still the city’s go-to expert on this ambitious, ongoing land-preservation and recreational project. “It’s about so many things, including building our local economy in a unique way.”
Now that the Urban Wilderness is more established, actual numbers about usage are more easily captured than when Sims authored his paper. Matthew Kellogg of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club said that his club received an equipment grant from the International Mountain Bicycling Association for trail-counter devices to quantify how many people use the trails — and where and when. Currently Kellogg’s group is calibrating 11 newly placed trail counters in the Urban Wilderness. By spring, the group hopes to be collecting reliable data.
Among the things this data will be used for is a multi-year study by University of Tennessee kinesiology and recreation professor Eugene Fitzhugh, a frequent lecturer about urban trails their impact on a community’s physical activity.