“We come into these situations using different technical terms, often referring to different methods, relying on different assumptions. What is necessary in order for us to be successful is the attainment of common ground,” O’Rourke said.

On the theme of common ground, O’Rourke touched on how language is the best, and most difficult, ways to find mutuality. He said language is one of the most important links to connecting different cultures and different ideas so that, as a collective unit, people move in the right direction. 

“Language itself is not just what speak and what we write. Language comes in many different forms. If it’s sensible to say that the land speaks, then we need to be open to the possibility that language comes in a wide variety of different modes,” O’Rourke said. “In all of these cases what we hope to do is to work to achieve some level of common ground.”

Melissa Kaplan issued the theatrical side of the talk. 

Kaplan, an arts producer at Lansing Community College, spoke mainly about how she views climate change through the performing arts. 

Kaplan was the production manager of the 2017 Climate Change Theatre Action event that was held in Lansing. This event was designed to bring awareness to the issue of climate change by using the emotional side of a serious problem.

“Yes, there’s many sources of information. There’s scientific articles, political debates but the arts, I believe, speak to you on an emotional level,” Kaplan said.  

The religious side of the talk was given out by Gretel Van Wieren, an Associate Professor in Religious Studies at MSU.

Van Wieren spoke about how one of her classes read an essay by Henry David Thoreau about walking through nature. Her students were then required to take a walk in nature and write about what they experienced. She said that every student wrote about having their ears opened to the sounds of nature. 

“The idea of ritual as a tool for listening to the land, I think is something that the study of religion brings to the conversation in a way that isn’t always present in the large cultural conversation," Van Wieren said.

When Edgar Cardenas took the mic to talk about the environment through his work, he spoke about how his photography of the American wilderness really helps him understand different parts of nature.

Cardenas said that there are many national parks and other beautiful landscapes, but often we overlook other aspects of nature that are equally important.

“We have the science, we have the technical know-how, and somehow we're not making any progress, which leads to the major challenge being cultural," Cardenas said. 

He said, until there is an appreciation for all aspects of nature, there are going to be continued ecological and environmental issues throughout our different cultures. 

The event was capped off by a performance from Scott Crandall, who showed his interpretation of Armageddon. In his performance, "Visions for the End of the World," Crandall played on the theme of how environmental problems and materialism will be the eventual downfall of society.