Comedy Meets Sustainability: Teach-In Turning Laughter into a Tool for Change

Emersonians are contributing to a sustainable future in many ways, big and small — and sometimes funny.

While climate change and other complex problems are not generally regarded as hilarious, in true Emerson College fashion, this year’s Teach-in on Sustainability is emphasizing the role of humor in tackling sustainability from October 15-17.

“I think the question is ‘How can we make how we talk about sustainability engaging?’ And that is what leads to the idea of sustainability being funny,” explained Department of Marketing Chair and Economics Professor Nejem Raheem. “But the main point is that we need to improve how we communicate around sustainability, and comedy is one way.”

Raheem added that humor can be disarming and put people in a receptive state, whereas scolding, scaring, and depressing people tends to shut them down.

This year’s keynote session, “Cassandra Meets Kal-El: A Conversation on Climate Comedy,” is admittedly playful, as it refers to the Trojan princess and Superman. Comedic Arts Assistant Professor Matt McMahan will dive into exploring how myth and comedy can re-story the climate crisis with University of Colorado Professor of Theatre and Environmental Studies Beth Osnes-Stoedefalke.

The keynote will look through the “lenses of Cassandra and Superman (yes—costumes included), [and] unpack how narratives bias our expectations, why doom can stall action, and how humor opens imaginative, generative paths forward.” It will be held in the Semel Theater, followed by an audience Q&A.

While many of the session are comedy-based, several of the 15 scheduled sessions are not looking to tickle funny bones, and will discuss issues such as the U.S. impact on global sustainable goals, the Earth Charter, and pandemic. On October 16, Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Senior Affiliated Faculty Jamie Lichtenstein will speak with Public Health and Nutrition Policy Researcher Lindsay LeClair about how teams of researchers partnered together to figure out how to study COVID and other respiratory infections in vulnerable populations.

Of course, an Emerson event exploring comedy and sustainability can only be sustained if it ends with full-on comedy show.

The show is produced by Comedic Arts major Jayden Lopez ’28, who also produced a TIOS session last year. Expect laughs as comedy troupes Chocolate Cake City and Stand Up in the Park respond to the prompt “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” There will also be standup performances by Elizabeth Stone ‘26, Graham Eiden ‘27, and Mara Escobar ‘28, at the SPC Black Box Theater in the basement of the Little Building.

Raheem wants people to understand that they can help support sustainability goals, and make an impact in many different ways.

“Especially in these times, when sustainability is taking a back seat to a lot of other things in the political arena,” said Raheem. “I would love it if we could provide some hope. Hope that we’re not giving up. Hope that people are keeping up the work on this topic. And hope that there’s plenty to do which we, as Emersonians, can do.”  

The full schedule of Teach-in on Sustainability sessions can be viewed on emerson.edu.