November 8-9, 2024
This year's conference will take place shortly after the U.S. general election. In 2024, more than half the world's population will have participated in elections, a record. We will explore how environmental joy can drive progress in light of and despite difficult political landscapes across the globe.
The work of environmental justice communities around the world would not be possible without the element of joy – how joy holds communities together in the face of injustice and adversity, how the search for well-being and joy powers community innovation, how resilience, survival, and even thriving all serve as deep resources that power big change.
Environmental Joy will be a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural exploration and celebration of these practices. The conference will make plain how practices and experiences of joy are core to the work of Indigenous and environmental justice communities everywhere. And how they hold the key to solving our most pressing environmental challenges.
Co-sponsored by Yale Divinity School, Yale Center for Environmental Justice, Graciela Chichilnisky Environmental Fund in Honor of Natasha Chichilnisky-Heal, Yale School of the Environment, Yale Law School, Yale Center for Race Indigeneity, Transnational Migration (RITM), Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Whitney Humanities Center, The Law, Ethics, and Animals Program at Yale Law School.