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​Schedule

​8:30AM-9:00AM — Check-In

​9:00AM-12:00PM — Panels & Activities (MORE INFO TO COME)

​12:00PM-1:00PM — Lunch & Networking provided by Black Girl Environmentalist Knoxville HUB

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​What is 'A Whole Different Ecosystem'

​‘A Whole Different Ecosystem’ is a one-day art & environmental justice conference weaved within a participatory performance art piece, where everyone—from panelists to attendees—has a role to play.

​AfroFuturists of Knox Collective is pioneering a new method of organizing environmental conferences by drawing inspiration from the 5 elements of hip hop — Knowledge, DJing, rapping, breaking, and graffiti — and their connection to the elements of nature. This conference is an ode to hip hop’s rich cultural legacy, using art as a tool to reinvigorate new frames of thought around environmental justice and the pressing issues that dramatically impact the colorful communities of Appalachia and beyond. The goal of this creative conference is to reignite these communities’ interest in the natural world through the lens of a Black art form that speaks to many walks of life.

​What makes this environmental justice and art conference truly unique will be the interactive components that intersect artists, sustainability experts, and conference goers. Tapping into the socially connective benefits of LARPing (Live-Action-Role-Play), this gathering will deconstruct complex climate and environmental topics using play, storytelling, and imagination to forge a non-traditional and innovative pathway towards eco-conscious discussions in a language and setting that favors learning over division.

​Who is hosting this event?

​The AfroFuturists of Knox Collective is an emerging maker group of Black artists who are actively crafting world building opportunities that is grounded in uplifting the cultural expertise found in Black environmental heritage and customs in Knox Appalachia. Uniquely situated in East Tennessee, the rotating members of AfroFuturists of Knox Collective embrace their Southern roots and aim to create works of art and gatherings that acknowledge the past, make room for the present, and chart pathways forward into the rich and complex unknown. This year’s futurescoping members are: Knox Community Street Dance, The Bottom, and Good Guy Collective.

​Who is sponsoring Act 1?

​Act 1 is sponsored by Ijams Nature Center and Black Girl Environmentalist Knox HUB.

​Ijams Nature Center

​Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit environmental education center that relies on member and donor support. Funding helps maintain the more than 318 acres of protected land managed by the nature center as well as allows Ijams to offer low-cost education programs so that more people can take part in them. The mission of Ijams Nature Center is to encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences.

​Black Girl Environmentalist

​Black Girl Environmentalist is a national organization dedicated to addressing the pathway and retention issue in the climate movement for Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people. The HUB Program brings together BGEs across the country to uplift, nurture, and create a network of support amongst one another. The HUB program it is BGE’s place-based initiative that connects our digital community to our physical one. By intentionally building ecosystems of care, our HUBs are indirectly building sustainable pathways to retain and attract Black talent within the environmental movement.