UMass Boston’s School for the Environment Dean Bob Chen has been named a member of the Host Committee for The Earthshot Prize, Boston 2022.

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s iconic 1962 “Moonshot” speech calling upon Americans to embrace and commit to the visionary goal of reaching the moon within a decade, The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize that aims to discover and scale innovative solutions to help repair the planet within a decade.​

The Earthshot Prize will honor initiatives that help to meet five key goals: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.

Host Committee members are serving as essential advisors and in the week leading up to the ceremony. As a committee member, Chen and the School for the Environment will also be helping to spotlight and celebrate how the UMass Boston community and its partners in the city have been taking transformative steps to address the impacts of climate change and to help build a better, more resilient future for us all. Joe Christo, managing director of the Stone Living Lab, is also serving as a committee member.

“UMass Boston and the School for the Environment are thrilled to participate with the Earthshot Prize as it comes to Boston,” Chen said. “We are focusing on engaging our youth through blending climate science with art and music, applying nature-based approaches to coastal resilience through efforts such as the Stone Living Lab, and ensuring equitable climate adaptation, planning, and development in Boston and beyond.”

One program Chen and UMass Boston are highlighting is Rising Tides, a collaboration of classical music group Eureka Ensemble and UMass Boston’s School for the Environment. The goal was to work with third through eighth graders in three different communities within Boston, including Chelsea, to illustrate the connections between climate change and music. The culmination was a performance of songs that the students wrote and composed about our changing planet, including both factual and emotional elements.

Watch a video on the Rising Tides program on UMass Boston’s YouTube.

Honorary co-chairs Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, and President Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, along with co-chairs Sandy and Paul Edgerley, are leading a distinguished host committee comprised of representatives from local environmental groups, prominent elected officials, academic institutions, and community leaders in business, philanthropy, and climate innovation. The 2022 Earthshot Prize ceremony will take place in early December at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the City of Boston. The Awards will air around the world on BBC in the UK, PBS in the United States and Multichoice across Africa. The show will also be available globally on YouTube. It will premiere on Sunday, December 4.

Committee members are supporting efforts to build an inclusive audience for the live ceremony by inviting young people in their communities who are committed to repairing the planet. Chen says along with himself and Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, an estimated 50 UMass Boston students will be able to attend the award ceremony.

“UMass Boston student participation in the Earthshot Prize Announcement Celebration will be a transformational experience and could lead to inspiring one of the next winners of the Earthshot prize,” he said.

Visit the JFK Library webpage for up-to-date information about the activities of Host Committee members or sign up for email updates about The Earthshot Prize in Boston.

“The Earthshot Prize brings an historic opportunity to recommit to the spirit of innovation and collaboration that has long made Boston a leader in addressing some of our most pressing environmental challenges here and around the globe,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I am inspired that so many of Boston’s leaders will join us in celebrating The Earthshot Prize and committing to the ambitious goal we all share of building a healthy and bright future for generations to come.”