EnviroThursday Spring 2026
Presentations take place at 12 noon, Olin-Rice Room 350
January 29, 2026
No EnviroThursday – First Week of Classes
February 5, 2026
Panel Discussion: Multidisciplinary perspectives on Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland
Panelists: Louisa Bradtmiller, Mary Heskel, Marianne Milligan, Mindy Jewell Price and Tom Robertson
Greenland has been in the news lately for both its geopolitical importance, as well as its importance to the climate system under climate change. Greenland also has a unique governance structure, and a thriving Indigenous population and culture that has taken an increasing role in self-governance. This panel discussion will feature brief prepared remarks by the four panelists, and then we will welcome discussion and questions from panelists and the audience. Please join us as we test out a new format option for EnviroThursday!
February 12, 2026
No EnviroThursday – ES Majors and Minors Lunch
February 19, 2026
“Man-Made Jungles: How Indigenous People Made Nepal’s Famous Grassland National Parks“
Speaker: Prof. Tom Robertson, Environmental Studies, Macalester College
Few places offer a better view onto the contradictions of the post-WWII wave of “fortress conservation” than Nepal’s Chitwan National Park. Often called Asia’s Serengeti, Chitwan is home to endangered one-horned rhinos and Bengal tigers, both of which thrive in the park’s tall grasslands (which resemble some Midwest grasslands in some ways). Chitwan is also home to the Indigenous Tharu, who helped maintain the health of the grasslands for generations through yearly burning. In 1973, when international and Nepali conservationists joined forces with the Nepali monarchy to create the park, mostly to protect the grasslands and the charismatic animals who depended upon them, the Nepali army put an end to grazing and burning. The result: a lose-lose situation. Tharu livelihoods suffered, as did the grasslands. 50 years later, only half still exist.
February 26, 2026
“Livability: Human Impacts in Transportation Decision-Making”
Speaker: Gloria J. Jeff, Strategic Development
The US Transportation System is wearing out. Transportation professionals are faced with the dilemma of how to preserve the current system, respond to the changing demand, and diminishing buying power while responding to the changing expectations of the people it serves. Good technical decisions without publicly responsive elements don’t often result in good solutions for the human environment. This talk will describe and explore an approach to transportation decision-making that considers the human environment impacts in the transportation decision-making. The concept of Livability looks beyond concrete, asphalt, and steel.
March 5, 2026
Learn about the new Geothermal System on campus
Speakers: Bryant Johnson, Midwest Mechanical Solutions and Spencer Ingaldson, Darcy Solutions
Geothermal is coming to Macalester College, and we’re excited to share what makes this project unique. Unlike traditional ground-loop systems, the Darcy Solutions system—developed right here in Minnesota—places a sealed heat exchanger directly within the aquifer. This approach allows the campus to leverage the stable temperature of groundwater without extracting or consuming it, improving efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. During our presentation, we’ll explain how the system works, why it’s different from conventional geothermal, and what it means for long-term campus sustainability and energy performance.
March 6, 2026 – Special EnviroFriday
“Indigenous Issues in Nepal: The Politics of the Environment in the Central Himalaya”
Speaker: Dr. Dhirendra Nalbo
The size of Tennessee, Nepal has over 100 languages and 30 million people, many of whom belong to historically marginalized Indigenous groups. In this talk, Dr. Nalbo will examine the complex intersections of state-led development, environmental governance, and Indigenous rights. He will examine “fortress” conservation in Nepal’s densely populated lowlands, including in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in southeastern Nepal. He will also discuss the Indigenous Limbu (Yakthung) nation’s resistance to a commercial cable car project on Mukkumlung, a sacred mountain in northeastern Nepal. Dr. Nalbo advocates for a paradigm shift that centers Indigenous methodologies and restorative justice.
Dr. Dhirendra Nalbo is the Co-Founder of the Open Institute for Social Science, an independent academic cooperative based in Kathmandu, Nepal. His research focuses on peace and conflict studies, Indigenous people and the environment, natural resource governance, and climate change.
March 12, 2026
Working Productively Across Differences in Values: Exploring the Siting of Data Centers
Panelists: Prof. Takeo Kuwabara, Julian Hartland, Dylan Jeppe, Lukas Locks-Scamp (’25), Tessa Myatt, Zaki Numani (’24), and Seneca Wilson
Every day we navigate conflict: from determining who will finally wash those dirty dishes in the sink to exploring how to work with a difficult co-worker on a shared project. But if you follow the news today, it can seem like the differences dividing us are increasing and our ability to come to shared understandings is decreasing. In this context, it might feel difficult to engage with disagreements. Join us to learn about the science behind a consensus building approach to conflict and practice the skills of leveraging differences to enhance outcomes. We will utilize a participatory experience examining how municipal governments are negotiating the siting of data centers. event is supported by a Project Pericles grant, Macalester Environmental Studies, and the Dialogue Across Differences initiative. The case builds upon ongoing research on the environmental and social impacts of data centers being conducted at the University of Minnesota.
March 19, 2026
No EnviroThursday – Spring Break
March 24, 2026 – Webers Rock Garden
Syrup Making – Storytelling – Science
Speakers: Zaryn Prussia ’23, Fern Naomi Renville, Roger Fernandes, Mary Heskel, Susan Green
8am Maple Sap Boiling starts – stop by for a taste all day long!
8:30am Zaryn Prussia – Storytelling and Ojibwe language
9:40am Fern Naomi Renville & Roger Fernandes – Storytelling
11:20am Mary Heskel – What makes Maple trees special?
11:50am Fern Naomi Renville & Roger Fernandes – Storytelling
1:20pm Zaryn Prussia – Storytelling and Ojibwe language
1:50pm Susan Green – Measuring sugar content & making syrup
3pm-ish Sap Boiling wraps up: filtering, bottling syrup & yum!
April 2, 2026
“An Integrated Above and Belowground Perspective of Carbon and Nutrient Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems: Insights to Advance Ecosystem Science and Land Management Practices”
Speaker: Prof. Adrienne Keller
Much of what we know and how we think about terrestrial ecosystems comes from aboveground observations and measurements. That’s not to ignore the wealth of interest and scientific work focused on belowground properties and processes. However, above- and belowground processes are often considered in isolation. Consider how an integrated above- and belowground perspective of carbon and nutrient cycling can provide new insights to understanding plant-soil-microbial feedbacks. Consider the value of taking such an integrated perspective when managing natural and working lands, particularly in the face of climate change. I will highlight some of my recent work helping land managers think about how to manage their lands for both climate mitigation and climate adaptation goals.
April 9, 2026
“Restoring Ecosystems from the Ground Up: The Importance of Soil Health and Biodiversity for Building Resilience on Tribal Lands”
Speaker: Dr. Danielle Ignace
Projected changes in climate and disturbances will impact nearly every aspect of Indigenous community health, wellbeing, and lifeways. These outcomes increase the importance of understanding (1) how ecosystems may function as carbon sinks or sources in coming decades, and (2) how Indigenous communities are affected by these ecological impacts. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has long had a goal of restoring the prairie area around the Hangman watershed (northern Idaho), and more recently, seeks to regenerate healthy forests. I present how the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is meeting this challenge by implementing nature-based climate solutions on the reservation. The Tribe’s goal focuses on how to manage its lands to ensure that key culturally and ecologically significant species are protected, while also restoring Tribal first foods.
April 16, 2026
“The Nuclear Past and the Nuclear Future”
Speaker: Dr. Jim Felman, UW Madison
Nuclear energy plays a central role in American society—but in ways that we often cannot see. After World War II, the U.S. built a powerful consumer society predicated on using nuclear energy to both fight communism and power the economy. In doing so, Americans embraced a set of assumptions about progress, citizenship, and the human relationships to nature that remain central to American life, even as our direct engagement with nuclear energy seems to have disappeared. We are still living in Nuclear America, and the nuclear past poses questions still relevant for the nuclear future.
April 21, 2026 – Special EnviroTuesday
Environmental Studies Honors Presentations (listed in order of presentations)
“Sustainability Savvy: The Role of Competence and Efficacy in Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior”
by Lorenna Graham ‘26
Many understand personal pro-environmental behavior (PEB) to be necessary, yet fewer engage in it, prompting a need to investigate psychological factors responsible. The present research investigates the influence of cognitive dissonance, outcome efficacy, and self-efficacy on PEB. Study 1 investigates the relationship between cognitive dissonance and PEB with outcome efficacy and competence as potential moderators. In Study 2 we further examine competence and outcome efficacy, adding a self-efficacy manipulation dimension. Results indicate strong positive associations between both competence and self-efficacy and PEB, suggesting that feeling capable of behaving sustainably is significantly related to individuals’ intention to do so.
“Red Lines, Green Blooms: Assessing the Effects of Historical Environmental Disparity on Algal Communities in the Twin Cities, MN”
by Georgia Akins ‘26
Redlining, a discriminatory housing policy from the 1930s, shaped lasting urban inequalities that may extend to environmental conditions. This study examines links between redlining and urban water quality in the Twin Cities using algal communities as indicators. Across 28 water bodies sampled in 2022 and 2024, physical, chemical, and biological metrics were compared by redlining grade. Results show limited relationships between redlining and most variables, with only surface water temperature differing significantly. Nutrients and algal diversity were unrelated to redlining, instead reflecting present-day conditions. These findings suggest contemporary factors play a stronger role than redlining in shaping urban freshwater ecosystems.
“Urban Water Bodies & Redlining in the Twin Cities: A Study of the Water Cooling Effect Across Neighborhoods”
by Lucia Zuvela ‘26
Urban heat exposure is unevenly distributed across U.S. cities, reflecting legacies of discriminatory housing policies. From the 1930s to 1960s, redlining maps graded neighborhoods from “A” (best) to “D” (hazardous), with “D” areas characterized by poorer environmental conditions and communities of color. Although banned in 1968, these patterns are argued to persist. While green infrastructure has been widely studied in this context, this thesis examines whether cooling from urban water bodies varies across historically graded neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Using Landsat imagery and field measurements, results show stronger cooling in “A”-graded neighborhoods, highlighting enduring environmental inequalities.
“Fossil Fuels in a Decarbonized Country? Modeling the Drivers of Icelandic Oil Sales”
by Inbal Armony ‘26
Although 100% of Iceland’s electricity comes from renewable energy, it still relies on fossil fuels for transportation and industry. Understanding geographic oil use nuances is critical to achieving Iceland’s 2040 carbon neutrality goal. As two thirds of Icelanders reside in one primary urban center, there is lacking information about oil use in non-Capital areas and a gap between state and municipal climate plans. Using newly available data of oil sales at the municipality-level in a Small Area Estimation model, I analyze drivers of oil sales across Icelandic municipalities. Iceland presents global lessons for what happens after a decarbonized electricity grid.
April 23, 2026
No EnviroThursday – College-wide Faculty & Staff Event
April 30, 2026
“Linking Ecology, Immunology and Behavior to Understand Transmission of a Complex Life Cycle Parasite”
Speaker: Dr. Amanda Hund, Carleton College
Complex life cycle parasites require different host species to complete their life cycle. While these types of parasites can have important impacts on human and livestock health, we still do not have a good understanding of how different hosts in the life cycle influence transmission dynamics. My research group studies a model tapeworm parasite that moves between birds, copepods and fish. With projects in copepods, common loons and threespine stickleback fish, we are trying to understand how ecology, immunology and behavior in different host species shapes landscape-level patterns of parasite distributions and transmission. We are also trying to understand the ecological conditions that can lead to the evolution of parasite resistance or tolerance in hosts.