Announcing the Seed Series Webinars!

The NRDC Seed Series, which launched on July 6, introduces participants to key topics and issues in the world of discard studies; a growing, transdisciplinary field that centers how waste impacts our world. From the role of waste in pop culture to the lifesaving labor of sanitation workers to the relationship between the after-deathcare industry and waste inequity, and so much more. This 10-part webinar series serves as a point of departure for participants to learn more about how they can take steps in their own lives towards climate justice, anti-racism and rethinking waste.

The host of the series is Jesi Taylor – journalist, Discard Studies Co-Editor, philosophy graduate student, and TRUE Advisor. Her work and research lie at the intersection of Black Studies, Genocide Studies, Ethics, and Legal Theory with a focus on how waste mismanagement disproportionately impacts chronically disenfranchised communities.

Each webinar will be recorded and live streamed on NRDC YouTube channel. We will update this blog post with the links to the recordings throughout the series.

The webinar dates, topics, registration link and/or recordings are as follows:

July 6: “Waste” as a Construct

Learn about the history of waste and disposability and how excessive waste came to be culturally acceptable.

July 27:  Waste Colonialism and Inequity

Learn how the concept of “waste” perpetuates systems of violence and racism. 

August 24: The Myth of “Away”

Examine how disposability politics and waste inequity disproportionately and purposely impact certain communities.

September 14: Deathcare and Toxic Capitalism

Learn about how the deathcare industry (after-death services) perpetuates waste colonialism and harms the environment.

January 11: Trashy Art

Learn about how humans have engaged with naturally occurring materials and waste to make art throughout history. Registration Link: https://nrdc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsceGgrTkvG9ax8QpUZ0K406J-BfN-cVYL 

February 1: Waste in Pop Culture

Examine how themes related to waste in popular media impact how we relate to waste conceptually and in our daily lives. Registration Link: https://nrdc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ldOmhqjkqHNSOUUBOCSPnez0wjgIWajmB 

The remaining webinar dates will be announced in early 2023. We will send updated information via email, and update this post once we have an updated schedule. Stay tuned! Upcoming webinars will include:

• Community Care for Sanitation Workers: Learn about the essential role and labor of sanitation workers and why they need our support.
• Food Apartheid and Food Waste: Learn about the relationship between structural racism, colonialism, and food apartheid in the context of waste inequity. 
• Soil, Water, and Pollutants: Examine how waste mismanagement impacts hydrological, agricultural, and soil-based systems on this planet. 
• Decolonizing Urban Forest Ecology: Learn about how colonialism impacts urban tree ecology, related planning initiatives, and conversations about urban green spaces.