The Acacia Strain

Authors

• Zachariah Gonzalez, St. Mary's UniversityFollow

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's University

Department

English Literature and Languages

Keywords

Digital Museum Exhibit, Fairy Tales, Climate Change, Curator talk, Illustrations, Audio, Video, Essay, Infographic, Acacia tortilis

LCSH Subject

Fairy Tales; Climate Change

Description

This digital museum exhibit features the climate change fairy tale The Acacia Strain, presented as a written narrative and recorded reading that explores environmental themes and the spiritual connection between humanity and nature through the symbolism of the Acacia tree. It also includes an infographic highlighting Acacia tortilis, with information about its habitat, environmental threats such as pests and acacia rust, and its spiritual and mythological significance. It also includes a curator’s talk that provides an overview of the exhibit and reflects on key takeaways from the experience. The exhibit also features an artifact entry using an image of a tree on campus to symbolize the rhetorical bridge between fairy tales and climate change and to reflect on the relationship between the human spirit and the natural world. It ends with a persuasive essay Join AVALANCHE: The Effects of Narrating Radical Environmental Defense, which argues that fairy tales and narrative storytelling can increase awareness and dialogue about climate change’s impact on vulnerable populations.

Collection

Speak For the Trees!

Format

Multiple

Size

Varying

Medium

Multiple

Document Type

Collection

Disciplines

Fiction | Folklore | Sustainability

Recommended Citation

Gonzalez, Zachariah, "The Acacia Strain" (2026). Speak for the Trees!. 11.
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/fairytales2/11

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.