The talk will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine.

• Virtual attendance: Complete the registration form to receive Zoom connection information.
• In-person attendance: Attendees must follow UMaine’s COVID-19 guidelines.

Speaker: Sonja Birthisel, Director, The Wilson Center, UMaine

Sonja has spent much of the last decade seeking to address the pressing reality of climate change. As a scientist, she’s done her best to wear the hat of “honest broker” through projects like FCCI’s Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Initiative. In 2019, she decided to step beyond roles that felt reputationally “safe” as a scientist and become increasingly involved in advocacy and activism, including civil disobedience. She will share stories and observations about the challenge of finding vocation and personal sustainability in the complex social change ecosystem of our time.

Dr. Sonja Birthisel is an agroecologist, educator, faith leader, activist, and member of the Orono Town Council. She is passionate about pursuing environmental and social justice through systems change, and seeks to engage this work on multiple levels, wearing a colorful array of hats. She graduated from the University of Maine in the Fall of 2018 with a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences and a focus in Sustainable Agriculture.