We were profoundly grateful to Audrey Peterman for being a keynote speaker for our 2021 Earth Day celebrations. She is a leader in the movement to engage more Americans of color in the enjoyment, care and protection of our green spaces.

Exposure to Love to Action: Mobilizing Advocates for our Earth

The public lands system in the U.S. is something that all Americans can be proud of. Learn more about the often-mischaracterized history of preserving outdoor spaces in the U.S., how physical distancing has brought us closer to our Earth and what that means for the future of our planet. This keynote is followed by a Q&A moderated by Lillian Dinkins, Conservation Leadership Program Fellow with Conservation Florida.

This virtual event was recorded live on Earth Day 2021 and brought to you by the Florida Museum and the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute, in partnership with Conservation Florida and UF’s Office of Sustainability. A few minutes of this recording was cut due to technical difficulty, but otherwise it is presented as it was recorded live.

About Audrey Peterman

Peterman has written several books including “From My Jamaican Gully to the World,” which documents her personal journey to environmental advocacy, “Our True Nature: Finding a Zest for Life in the National Park System,” a travel guide to the National Park System, and “Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Inheritance and Tells Why Everyone Should Care,” which she co-authored with her husband, Frank.

Her achievements have been recognized with awards including the Environmental Hero Award, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Outstanding Citizen Advocate Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Outdoor Afro. Thanks to her efforts as part of the Next100 Coalition, President Obama issued a Presidential memorandum in 2017 promoting diversity and inclusion in our national parks, forests and other public lands and waters.