Earth Week speaker welcomed

The annual Earth Day keynote speaker event, featuring Douglas Wood, took place this Wednesday, April 22 at St. John’s Pellegrene Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Wood is, among many things, an author, musician and speaker.

He is most known for his 35 published books, which have sold more than 2.5 million copies.

The event was co-hosted by the Environmental Studies department and the Sustainability Office.

According to the event description, Douglas Wood continues to explore the relationship between the human spirit and the natural word in his work.

The event was free for the public.

SJU senior Nick Mertens, the Department Coordinator of the Environmental Studies Department, said he is hopeful that the community finds it to be an inspiring experience.

“The event is about celebrating our planet, mother nature and the stories that come from cultures around the globe,” Mertens said via email. “The hope for this event is to inspire change, encourage people and reflect on choices in their own life to make a sustainable difference. Sustainability isn’t just a campus issue — it is a community, city, state and country-wide effort that takes everyone working together to make a difference.”

The event began with an introduction from Director of the Sustainability Office Kyle Rauch.

“The accolades go on and on… but I can attest to Doug’s work as an educator because I was one of his students for an environmental experience,” Rauch said.

Wood then began with a mandolin performance and a live reading of his first-published book “Old Turtle.”

“I wrote it in half an hour, oh, and about 38 years,” Wood said, explaining how long it took him to write the children’s book.

During the Q&A session, he also shared that he and his wife of 53 years live in a log cabin up north.

“Up in the pines, that’s my favorite place on earth,” Wood said.

Mertens said he hopes that students will be sustainable beyond Earth week.

“Earth Day (and Earth Week rather) is the week where sustainability is put on full display. We hope to remind people that Sustainability isn’t just confined to a week, and it involves everyone,” Mertens said via email. “For Environmental Studies and Sustainability, it is a time to educate, inspire and push people to make lasting changes.”

In his final words of encouragement, Wood spoke about his book and the current environmental policies.

“That book came out in 1992 and right now it may seem those words aren’t true; don’t lose hope,” Wood said. “I believe that we will find our way back to a place of care, even if it doesn’t look like that is happening now.”