Events

Native Plants and Native People the necessity of including the human element of environmental conservation Dr. Eleanor Phillips Lopez Abstract Faced with the harsh and ever more visible realities of climate change and ecological collapse, underlying systemic inequities in our human ecology also become apparent. In the face of daunting crises, there is a desire to connect with nature, to restore balance, to ensure sustainability and health for future generations. I invite us to re-frame the starting point for thinking about environmental stewardship that centers humans as an extension of the natural world. To do this, I believe it is essential to be in right relationship with Native Americans as a human aspect of the natural world that has both the longest relationship with native species, and who continue to thrive and remain at the forefront of protecting our environment despite enduring the human equivalent of ecocide - genocide. Using historical context and modern-day examples I will make a case for what collective land stewardship centered in direct support of Indigenous community, reciprocity, and reparations could look like in Tennessee. Short Bio Eleanor Lopez received her Doctor of Plant Medicine degree (DPM) from the University of Florida, where she studied plant pest diagnostics, including entomology, nematology, plant pathology, weed management, soil and plant sciences. She is currently the lead diagnostician at the University of Tennessee Extension plant pest diagnostic lab in Nashville, TN, and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at UT Knoxville. Her other studies included a MS in Entomology and Nematology, a MS in Sustainable Food Systems, and a BA in Spanish and Environmental Studies. Sharable Flyer Available here. Zoom Details Topic: Wild Ones Middle Tennessee Monthly Meeting Time: Feb 28, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82682576111?pwd=eURLV29rdnl4SldHbkxOZkNPRmdFUT09 Meeting ID: 826 8257 6111 Passcode: 447560 One tap mobile +13126266799,,82682576111#,,,,*447560# US (Chicago) +19292056099,,82682576111#,,,,*447560# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 826 8257 6111 Passcode: 447560 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kF2cqUsw