By Willow Hutchison
This April, Better Tomorrow Speaker Series will host three distinguished speakers, all with different approaches to the climate crisis. These events feature poetry, science, activism, and public policy to spark ideas and action on campus and in the community.
Internationally acclaimed poet and Marshall Islands climate envoy Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner will kick off Earth Month on April 1 with a keynote lecture and poetry performance at Orvis Auditorium. Serving as the Spring 2026 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, Jetñil-Kijiner’s work combines art, activism, and cultural storytelling. As a climate envoy for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Environment and co-founder of the youth climate nonprofit Jo-Jikum, her poems and performances explore the impacts of historical events like U.S. nuclear testing and contemporary climate crises on her culture. She is the author of Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter, and her multimedia work has earned international acclaim for its fusion of storytelling and climate advocacy.
On April 23, we’re hosting Helen Czerski, physicist, oceanographer, and professor of mechanical engineering at University College London. Czerski, the Spring 2026 Dai Ho Chun Chair in the College of Natural Sciences, is also a science presenter for BBC documentaries and co-host of Rare Earth on BBC Radio. Czerski has authored award-winning books, including Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life and Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World, as well as numerous scholarly articles on fluid physics and the behavior of bubbles. Her lectures illuminate the hidden mechanics of our world and reveal how understanding science can inspire solutions to environmental challenges.
Rounding out Earth Month on April 26th is Bill McKibben, contributing writer at The New Yorker and founder of Third Act and 350.org, the global grassroots climate movement. McKibben, a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and the Right Livelihood Prize, has authored over twenty books, including his seminal work The End of Nature and his most recent, Here Comes the Sun (2025). With honorary degrees from nineteen universities, McKibben has spent decades advocating for climate action and sustainability. His lecture will draw on his experience mobilizing communities worldwide, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action to address climate change.
We invite all members of the campus and the broader community to engage with these three leaders in poetry, science, and activism. By highlighting diverse approaches to environmental challenges, the series seeks to inspire new ideas, conversations, and solutions in the face of the climate crisis.
Mahalo!