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Capstone Speaker: Elizabeth Bagley

Sienna Mora ’25 in News | April 21, 2023

This past Monday, Capstone speaker Dr. Elizabeth Bagley of Project Drawdown hosted a virtual webinar for Lawrenceville students and faculty. Project Drawdown is a global organization that aims to take action on the climate crisis through reducing carbon emissions and carbon sinks. The company emphasizes taking effective action rather than mulling over statistics, focusing on where money and funds would be most effectively spent. 
“The name ‘Drawdown’ comes from the idea of reaching an inflection point where atmospheric carbon dioxide levels start to go back down following the implementation of solutions as quickly and equitably as possible,” said Director of Sustainability Stephen Laubach. 
Dr. Bagley’s talk focused on Drawdown’s approach to addressing sustainability through implementable solutions rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the crisis, such as pollution and various climate crises. 
Her goal was to provide students with a “sense of hope that we have the capacity, curiosity, and perseverance to solve this problem,” according to Laubach. These solutions include “shifting to renewables, improving battery technology for use with renewables and vehicles, reducing food waste, [and] finding new ways to make concrete.” 
The first three Capstone speakers focused on the challenges global leaders and different organizations face in battling global warming because of ineffective communication in battling global warming. Similarly, Dr. Bagley introduced a more hopeful approach in strengthening the sustainability movement. Reflecting on the Capstone seminar, Sophia Kohmann ’23 said, “I liked the emphasis she placed on solutions, rather than the data and the gloomy statistics of how the world is coming to an end.” 
“The capstone speakers are instrumental in helping us better understand the issues on our hands, which is the first step to actually addressing them,” Kohmann continued. These talks  have “changed [her] perspective” and uncovered certain aspects of the climate crisis that she “has never thought about.” 
All in all, the Lawrenceville community aims to continue making strides in bettering sustainability on campus. Dr. Bagley's realistic solutions and more optimistic approach to addressing global warming introduced students to a unique perspective to view sustainability.

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