The fourth annual Women and the Environment Symposium is fast approaching. This one-day event will explore the intersection between women and gender issues and environmental concerns. The event will occur on Feb. 25 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium at the DeVos Center on the Grand Valley State University Pew Campus.

The event is organized by GVSU’s Women Center and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. The symposium will include workshops and presentations on localizing food, healthy homes and family health, trust, inclusion and environment and climate resiliency.

Brittany Dernberger, the director of the Women’s Leadership House and the assistant director of the GVSU Women’s Center, said the theme of environmental justice was chosen because marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental issues.

“It’s important to have a lens of social justice and inclusion when considering these topics,” Dernberger said. “Often topics are discussed in silos. This symposium takes an interdisciplinary approach and explores the numerous intersections between these topics.”

The symposium will include a panel discussion featuring panelists Lisa Oliver-King from Our Kitchen Table, Guy Williams from Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Jeremy Moore from Spectrum Health and Belinda Bardwell from the GVSU Native American Advisory Board.

“There will be many opportunities for networking and making connections during the reception,” Dernberger said. “This event provides a unique opportunity to interact with not only GVSU students, faculty and staff, but also community members who bring expertise and are currently working in the field.”

Nikki Silvestri, the executive director of Green for All, is the keynote speaker. Green for All is a nonprofit located in California that works to build a more inclusive, healthy and sustainable economy.

According to the GVSU Women and the Environment Symposium press release, Silvestri served as executive director of People’s Grocery in Oakland, where she led efforts to cultivate economic and environmental justice within the food sector. She has a master’s degree in African American studies from the University of California Los Angeles.

The symposium is the first large-scale meeting between local leaders and stakeholders in the academic, business and activism communities focused on gender and the environment. The symposium will honor women for their accomplishments on behalf of West Michigan’s natural resources.

Additionally, participants will leave with an increased knowledge and more information about environmental justice and related issues, better developed connections with other women who care about the environment and tools that will empower them to take action to influence and change environmental policy.

Early registration begins on Feb. 1 and is $45 for adults and $20 for students. Register at www.wmeac.org/event/women-environment-symposium/.