Earth Day 2026: ‘The Future We Build’ event held at Arizona State University's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory

Earth Day 2026: ‘The Future We Build’ event held at Arizona State University's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.

Panel: Global Futures Conversation

Topic: Living in times of accelerated global change

The conversation illuminated emerging challenges and opportunities at a time when the world order is being rewritten at a rapid pace.

Moderator: Peter Schlosser | Global Futures Laboratory

Speakers:

Jack Kittinger| Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures

Joni Adamson | Humanities for the Environment

Daniel Rothenberg | Future Security Initiative

Karen Fisher-Vanden | School of Sustainability

Gary Dirks | Energy Forward

The discussion focused on what it means to live and lead during a period of accelerated global change.

Joni Adamson, Director of the BRIDGES Flagship Hub, whose base is the ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory shared how inspiring it was to sit on the Earth Day Panel “It was an honor to join my brilliant colleagues on an Earth Day panel about living in times of accelerated global change.” Joni explained how the panel “discussed the opportunities for wresting better futures out of rupture and challenge.” She added “We were surrounded by the students who inspire us and give us hope everyday that we can achieve our goals.”

The Wider Event

The panel was part of a larger celebration on April 22, 2026, at the Walton Center for Planetary Health. Other key elements of the event included:

Youth Leadership Panel: A separate session where students discussed how they are driving impact through partnerships with various Global Futures units.

Interactive Showcase: Attendees explored exhibits from the School of Ocean Futures, the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures, and the School of Sustainability. This included hands-on experiences like virtual ecosystems from Dreamscape Learn and a "Mechanical Tree" for carbon capture.

Film Screening: The day concluded with a screening of the documentary, ‘Common Ground’c which explores the intersections of regenerative agriculture, climate, and the global economy.

The event served as a collaborative call to action, emphasising that environmental progress is sustained by daily community actions rather than just policy shifts.

Further information on the Earth Day celebrations at ASU can be found here.