As part of the University’s Sustainability Days, the Office for Sustainability hosted a screening of the movie “Disruption” Thursday, followed by a student-made documentary about the People's Climate March and a panel discussion. About 45 students attended the screenings and discussion.
"Disruption" is a short documentary which focuses on the impact of climate change, and provides a call to action for millennials.
"We’re the first generation to feel the impacts of climate disruption, and the last generation that can do something about it," the film's website reads.
The event then showed a student-made documentary which followed students preparing for the People’s Climate March, a climate awareness rally held this September in New York City.
Third-year College student Jen Natyzak, an environmental science major who attended the march and helped make the student film, said the march was part of an effort to raise attention about the action needed to combat climate change.
“The climate doesn’t make the news as enough as it should,” Natyzak said. “And this was something that could make headlines.”
Second-year College student Maria Rincon also attended the march and the lecture.
“[I went] because this is going to affect the future,” Rincon said. “Me, my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my family. It’s so easy to think we’re not going to be here when this happens. It’s very much related to people and the future of the planet.”
The People’s Climate March drew roughly 400,000 protesters, including about 80 students from the University who joined in as part of the awareness effort.
Second-year College student Shuhui Wu, who also attended the march, said environmentalism is often a question of justice.
“Climate change effects may not be visible, but it’s going to start escalating,” Wu said. “It’s going to affect mostly minority groups, poor people and less people who are isolated from those effects.”
Third-year Engineering student Lia Cattaneo, who serves as the co-chair for Student Council's Sustainability Committee, said climate change is an issue which still needs strong voices to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
“The effects of global warming from sea level rise to displacement of island communities are already being felt around the world," she said. "I will take every chance I get to speak up about what is, in my opinion, the most important issue of my generation.”
After the screening of the student documentary the event broke into a discussion and panel — which consisted of second-year College student Nqobile Mthethwa; fourth-year College student Dyanna Jaye; Erika Herz, director of intellectual capital for the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Darden; and Cheryl Gomez, director of operations in Facilities Management.
Jaye said every student needs to have environmental literacy, and she advocated structural and financial changes at the University to help combat climate change.
“Universities throughout history have been huge catalysts for change,” Jaye said. “U.Va. sits at an awesome sweet spot. We are very respected academically, … but we’re also a public institution. If we shift our energy structure as an University those shifts are beyond here.”
Mthethwa said she hoped to apply the energy and focus of University students to this crisis.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what we’re learning in the classroom and applying it,” Mthethwa said.
Gomez also emphasized the importance of making transportation more sustainable on Grounds.
“Fourteen percent of our carbon footprint is transportation,” she said. “We could have better mass transit systems, bikes [and] carpooling.”
Second-year College student Alex Wolz, who also went to the march, has been working on implementation of the UBike program.
“Of the time I’ve been on [the Sustainability Committee], it’s been on the policy side,” Wolz said. “I kinda wanted to see what the activism side. Going to this showed the activism side and the people power of it. It’s a pretty diverse group, because it affects so many people.”
Wolz said people are waking up to the issue of climate change.
“It is now in the forefront of politics,” Wolz said. “It is no longer a fringe issue. Especially with the recent agreement with U.S. and China. Obama and other politicians are taking cues from society.”
For the first time, Sustainability Days spans two days instead of one. The University has sponsored multiple programs, such as America Recycles Day and Hoos Talking Green.
Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the student-made film documenting the People's Climate March. "Disruption," which was aired in addition to the student film at the event, is a professional short documentary outlining the impacts of climate change and calling upon individuals to take action.
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