Professors from the departments of English and biological sciences and the New College made cases for unique and non-traditional approaches to discussing the environment and conservation at the “Pen and the Planet” panel discussion in Lloyd Hall on Nov. 19. 

The event was presented by the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies and aimed to reveal a stronger link between humanities and environmentalism.

Moderated by associate professor of English and executive director of the Shakespeare Association of America Tricia McElroy, the panel included other panelists like professors Julia Cherry, Reed Byg and Elizabeth Tavares from the Capstone and Kate McClune from the University of Bristol.

After an introduction by McElroy, each professor was given a few minutes to discuss a sub-topic of their choosing. These subjects ranged from the impact of historical enclosures on urban green spaces to the use of medieval archival material to understand past approaches to animal control.

One of the key aspects of the panel discussion was the importance of personal narratives in promoting environmentalism. 

Elizabeth Tavares, director of the Alabama Shakespeare Project and an assistant professor of English, focused her presentation on waste management in the time of William Shakespeare. She said that she believes these studies can help expand knowledge of the history of environmental protection.

“We look at literary texts, legal documents, from 400 to 100 years ago, the kinds of things that environmental scientists aren’t necessarily going to look at,” Tavares said about the Hudson Strode Program. “Most climate scientists and conservationists are only trying to look about 100 years back in time, post industrial revolution. So, what were these environments like before that, and how do we engage with them?”

After the presentations, attendees asked questions about reframing conservation efforts and the impact of climate change on historical enclosures.

“In order to get politicians to care about this sort of thing, you need to appeal more to their emotions and talk about the public more than you talk about science,” said Kyra Richardson, a sophomore in New College, who was a spectator of the panel. “That’s where the arts come in.”

During the discussion, Julia Cherry, director of New College and professor of interdisciplinary studies and wetland ecology, described what she saw as a main purpose of this panel and the discussion overall.

“We are starting to think about the ways in which the humanities and social sciences can inform the natural sciences, and vice versa,” Cherry said. “I would like to think about how our concepts of nature affect how we might view natural ecosystems, and what that means about our willingness, or not, to protect them and to invest in conservation and restoration.”