Tuesday, Apr 19, 2011
Mark Dixon, founder of YERT – Your Environmental Road Trip – will share his experiences from his yearlong eco-expedition through all 50 United States as the keynote speaker for ý’s Earth Day 2011 celebration.
by Lauren Adams
Mark Dixon, founder of YERT – Your Environmental Road Trip – will share his experiences from his yearlong eco-expedition through all 50 United States as the keynote speaker for ý’s Earth Day 2011 celebration. Join Dixon for an event filled with environmental fun as he discusses his journey of weird, wild and wonderful approaches to sustainability all across America – the subject of his film YERT, which stands for Your Environmental Road Trip, on Wednesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. in Sweigart Auditorium. The event if free and open to the public.
“The documentary is a funny, informative and uplifting film,” said Melissa Greenberg, ý’s sustainability coordination manager.
There will be multiple opportunities to meet Dixon throughout the day. Stop by the YERT booth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the BLC patio during ý’s Earth Day Celebration to meet and speak with him, while enjoying other fun-filled activities during the celebration, which also includes music, games and giveaways.
Take a turn on the human-powered sit-and-spin ride, test your golf skills with the Putting Challenge, and play the quiz wheel for a chance to win prizes. Then, at 4:30 p.m., the Energy and Sustainability Steering Committee will host a Meet and Greet dinner in the Teaching and Learning Center, Science. The dinner is free and open to all students, faculty and staff.
Following the Meet and Greet, Dixon will present his address in Sweigart Auditorium at 6 p.m.
In addition to founding YERT, Dixon is also one of a thousand climate messengers chosen and trained by Al Gore to give presentations about the climate crisis that we face today. Throughout the journey, and documented in the film, Dixon, Ben Evans and Julie Evans released fast-paced videos online to share their adventures, including their very own “road rules” eco-challenges, visits to environmentally significant destinations, and most importantly, interviews with more than 800 leaders, business people, researchers and average citizens from all walks of life.
Dixon’s appearance is sponsored by the University’s Energy and Sustainability Steering Committee.
Watch the for YERT, read the blog, or follow Mark Dixon on Twitter at