All events are located in Porter Hall on EMU’s campus.

Thursday March 16

7:00 pm
Opening Keynote Address: Robert Jensen
Porter 202

Friday March 17

9:00 am–10:00 am Concurrent Session One

Porter 203        Our Voices Will Be Heard: Murals as Youth Activism in Ypsilanti

Lynne Settles, Nick Azzaro (Ypsilanti Community High School), Jermaine Dickerson (artist), Rhea Mcaughley, Mark Tucker (Lloyd Hall Scholars University of Michigan) and YCHS students: Doriyanna Hudson, Maximilian Harper, Teilo Wessells, Christy Witkowski, Tori Williams, Gabriela Herrera, Grace Villarreal-Silva, Ashley Gimmey, Sam Read

Facilitator: Lisa Voelker

Porter 215        Neoliberalism and School Policy

“Understanding and Responding to Current ‘Free Market’ Agendas for Public Education.” Doug Baker and Courtney Rowe (Eastern Michigan University)

“The Infinite Extent of Our Relations:” Radical Exclusion and Preschool Policy in the State of Michigan. Tricia McCloskey (University of Toledo)

Facilitator: Rob Halpern

10:10 am–11:10 am Concurrent Session Two

Porter 203        Our Voices Will Be Heard! Youth Voice and Activism, Part 2

Lynne Settles, YCHS students: Doriyanna Hudson, Maximilian Harper, Teilo Wessells, Christy Witkowski, Tori Williams, Gabriela Herrera, Grace Villarreal-Silva, Ashley Gimmey, Sam Read; YCHS New Tech students; Detroit Institute of Technology Students; Jonice Sylvester (Eastern Michigan University), Lisa Voelker (Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition(, Ethan Lowenstein (Eastern Michigan University)

 Porter 214        EcoJustice Education for Young Children

“Serving What Coheres and Endures: EcoJustice Lessons for Kindergarten Students.” Clara Thiry (Paddock Elementary School, Milan, Michigan)

“Ten Acres and a Child: Taking a Personal Approach to Ecojustice Education.” Katy Adams, Eastern Michigan University

“First Steps in Understanding Diversity, Ecosystems and Care: Eight Lessons for Elementary School 3rd Graders.” Marikki Arnkil (University of Tampere, Finland)

Facilitator: Rebecca Martusewicz

11:15 am–12:00 am Common Session: EcoJustice and Eco-Schools in Puerto Rico

Porter 203        Film: Buscando el Sol

A beautiful documentary featuring five schools in Puerto Rico where education for sustainable development is being implemented. Elsie Aquino (Wayne State University) and Tom Pedroni (Wayne State University)

12:00 pm–1:00 pm Lunch Break
Porter 230/231 Hot Soup, Salad, and Bread Available. Donations Appreciated

1:00 pm-2:00 pm Concurrent Session Three

Porter 213        Place-Based Teacher Education: A Model Whose Time Has Come

Ethan Lowenstein (Eastern Michigan University), Nigora Erkaeva, (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Agnes Krynski

Porter 214        Learnshop: What’s Up?: Exploring Nature and Life to Redesign Communities, Part 1

(Note: this is a double session) Gloria Rivera (Bioneers Detroit)

Porter 215        On Dialogue, Democracy, and Health as Holism

“Wendell Berry and Health as Holism.” Kristi George (University of Michigan-Flint)

“Dialogue as Radical Inclusion: Invitational Rhetoric in Daisaku Ikeda’s Dialogues.” Melissa Bradford (DePaul University)

“Imagining Democratic and Ecologically Sustainable Schools: What Ought to Be.” Nadine Sabri (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: John Mullen

2:10 pm–3:10 pm Concurrent Session Four

Porter 213        Changing Paradigms: Teaching and Insider Work for EcoJustice Education

“EcoJustice Teachers: Dismantling Dominant Discourses.” Monica K. Shields (Eastern Michigan University)

“Changing the Paradigm from Within.” Nick Morris (Kent State University)

Facilitator: Jennifer Hatten-Flisher

Porter 214        Learnshop: What’s Up?: Exploring Nature and Life, Part 2

Gloria Rivera (Bioneers Detroit)

Porter 215        Workshop: The Praxis Effect. When Environmental Theory Meets Action

Amanda Cress, Courtney Gillespie, Jordan Lipscombe, Islay Smedley, Bethany Lefay, Riley Tessier, Ivan Fox, Amber Jones, Quinn Meawasige, Jamie McIntyre and Jordan Wettlauffer (Algoma University, Sault St. Marie, Ontario)

3:20 pm-4:20 pm Concurrent Session Five

Porter 213        Spoken Word, Ecopoetics, and EcoJustice Education

“Spoken Word and EcoJustice Education.” Colleen Coyle-Levy (Eastern Michigan University)

“Sky Above the Street: Affect Theory and Ecopoetics in Bhanu Kapil’s Ban en Banlieue.” Aaron Smith and Megan Stockton (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Rob Halpern

Porter 214        Workshop: Class and Climate: Overcoming the “Job-Killer” Argument Against Environmental Sustainability

Dianne Feeley (Autoworker Caravan & the Labor Network for Sustainability), Erica Ackerman (350.org of Southeast Michigan), and Alice Elliott (University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment)

Porter 215        EcoJustice Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, and Schooling

“Beyond Payne: An EcoJustice Framework for Understanding Classism.” Rachelle Marshall (Eastern Michigan University)

“An Ecojustice Approach to Developing Counter-Hegemonic Practices in Education.” Mark Truna (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Jennifer Hatten-Flisher

4:30 pm–6:00 pm Plenary Panel: Struggles Against Campus Racism

203 Porter        Struggles Against Campus Racism

Panelists: D. Crystal Coles (Eastern Michigan University), Rasheed Atwater (Eastern Michigan University), Taylor Little and Jasmine Reynoso (student activists from Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Rob Halpern

Saturday March 18

9:00 am–10:00 am Concurrent Session One

Porter 213        Community Education, Commons-Based Stewardship, and Teacher Education

“Exploring the Promise of Youth Environmental Stewardship, Activism and Place-Based, Ecojustice Education for Nurturing Youths’ Commitments to the Environmental Commons.” Erin Gallay (Eastern Michigan University)

“Teacher Education: A Proposal for Transformation Using a Third Space of Community.” Kaitlin Popielarz (Wayne State University)

“Reimagining Teacher Education: A Model of Critical Teaching Practice.” Amanda Maher (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Katy Adams

 Porter 214        EcoJustice, Critical Disability Studies, and Art-Based Research

“‘This Kind of Normal:’ Arts-Based Research on Experiences and Emotions of People with Disabilities.” Raisa Foster (ArtEco Project, Tampere, Finland)

“We are All Wildthings: The Shunning of Disabled, Mad, and Ecological Bodyminds.” Jacqueline St. Antoine (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Rebecca Martusewicz

Porter 215        Green Criminology, Environmental Racism, and Commons-Based Art-Making in Ypsilanti

“A Certain Political Stink: Ypsilanti Michigan’s Garbage Dump and Environmental Racism.” Lee Azus (Community Activist, Ypsilanti)

“Feral Sociality and Art-Making: Ypsilanti’s Water Street Sculpture Park.” Elizabeth Currans (Eastern Michigan University)

“The Status of Green Criminology in Victimology Research.” Demarco Johnson, Kimberly L. Barrett, and Tricia McTague (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Rob Halpern

10:10–11:10    Concurrent Session Two

Porter 213        Wendell Berry, Anthropo-Harmonism and an Ethics of Relinquishment

“Wendell Berry, Pedagogies of Responsibility and an Ethics of Relinquishment.” Olli-Jukka Jokisarri (University of Tampere), Jani Pulkki (University of Tampere), and Rebecca Martusewicz (Eastern Michigan University)

“‘Anthropo-Harmonism,’ the Imagination, and a Practiced Virtue: Reading Wendell Berry for EcoJustice Education and a Pedagogy of Responsibility.” John Mullen (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Gary Schnakenberg (Michigan State University)

 Porter 214        Workshop: Soulardarity: Sharing, Recreating & Inspiring

Jackson Koppell, Souladarity

Porter 215        Whose Democracy? Whose Community? Post-Colonial Perspectives

“Democratic Experience in Nigeria: Need for a Home Grown System.” Imoh Colins Edozie

“Democracy in Islamic Perspective: Al Shura in The Holy Quran and Postcolonial Identity through the Novel.” Mohammed Abdullah Alshehri and Zachery Ian Rasey

“The Role of Education in a Democratic Society.” Saeed Mohammed Alzahran

Facilitator: Lynne Hamer (University of Toledo)

11:15 am–12:00 pm Common Session: Rebuilding Our Community Spaces

Porter 203        (Re)Building Our Community Spaces: Engaging in Placed-Based Education to Transform Local Community Spaces

Lisa Voelker (Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition), Chris Burke (UM Dearborn), Morgan Lantz, Escuala Avensemos (EcoWorks, Detroit), Chad Segrist (CODY-DIT High School), Tanya Borachi and CODY-DIT Students: Aniya Roundtree, Kianna Harris, DaVaughn Smith, Omar Lopez

12:00 pm–1:00 pm Lunch Break
Porter 230/231 Hot Soup, Salad, and Bread available. Donations appreciated.

1:10 pm–2:40 pm Featured Speaker, Kim Barrett

Porter 203        Kim Barrett (Eastern Michigan University)
Criminological Perspectives on Environmental Destruction: The Status and Significance of Green Criminology

Introduction: Jennifer Hatten-Flisher  (Eastern Michigan University)

2:50 pm–3:50 pm Concurrent Session Three

Porter 213        Disability Studies and EcoJustice Education

“Perceptions on disability in college settings: Intersections of disability and EcoJustice Education.” Yasmin Snounu (Eastern Michigan University)

“The Future Belongs to ALL Children: Critical Disability Studies and the Flint Water Crisis.” Kira Dallaire (Eastern Michigan University)

Facilitator: Jacqueline St. Antoine

Porter 214        Workshop: Engaging Youth Leadership in Environmental Justice Activism

Julia Cuneo (We the People of Detroit)

Porter 215        Historical Perspectives: Migration, Resistance, and the Environmental Movement

“Whose City, Whose School?: Migrants and Education in Nineteenth-Century Urban America.” Joe Ramsey (Eastern Michigan University)

“Traces of Resistance: Maroon Communities in the Great Dismal Swamp.” Julia Hamer-Light (Yale University)

Facilitator: Erin Stanley

4:00 pm–5:30 pm Closing Session: Prison Abolition as Radical Inclusion

Porter 203        Prison Abolition as Radical Inclusion (Sponsored by the Journal of Narrative Theory)

Panelists: Liat Ben-Moshe (University of Toledo), Alejo Stark (Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity), Nathalie Holbrook (American Friends Service Committee)

Facilitator: Rob Halpern (Eastern Michigan University)