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A visit by activist Ralph Nader, a third-party candidate in the past two presidential races, is one of several Earth Week events organized by Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection to increase awareness of environmental issues.
According to organizer Sarah Smith ’07 (Gap, Pa.), a biology major, Earth Day was established April 22, 1970 to promote the right to a safe, healthy environment and to help the average person who cares about the Earth learn how to make an impact. Earth Week extends this idea into a longer campaign that runs April 18-22 this year, although Nader’s visit will take place Monday, April 25.
“Earth Week also functions in making the public aware of the current environmental slaughtering, and the ways that each individual can help to protect the environment,” Smith says. “Most people don’t know that taking environmental conservation measures saves energy and money.”
Students who support environmental issues are encouraged to join LEAP, which provides information about recycling on and off campus on its web site. The group’s web site also offers news, information about events, and conservation tips. Anyone with recycling concerns or questions is encouraged to email them to recycle@lafayette.edu.
“I got involved with LEAP because I am a huge supporter of recycling,” Smith says. “I don’t know of any valid reason why someone shouldn’t recycle.”
The Earth Week schedule:
April 18, noon-1 p.m: Michael Stark, assistant professor of physics, will compare his hybrid car with a LEAP member’s SUV, highlighting the pros and cons of the vehicles, which will be exhibited on March Field.
April 18, 7-8:30 p.m. – In “Sex and the Environment: Overpopulation and You” at Jaqua Auditorium, Hugel Science Center room 100, community leaders and environmentalists will discuss how overpopulation affects society and the environment and provide information about a new environmental movement in the Lehigh Valley. The event is inspired by the 6 Billion Monkeys exhibit in the Williams Visual Arts Building.
April 19, 12:15-1 p.m.: Gathering on the Quad, where Tom Nelson and Hope Anwyll of the Pennsylvania Raptor and Wildlife Association will give a presentation on the relationship between humans and wildlife. A bald eagle, Harris hawk, barred owl, and turkey vulture will be present. The rain date is Thursday, April 21.
April 19, 7-9 p.m.: “Post Environmentalism: Science or Imagery in Shaping the Green Psyche” in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights auditorium, room 104. Hart Feuer ’05 (Portland, Ore.), who graduated last semester as a double major in economics & business and German, will discuss the national and global environmental movement and the struggle to persuade people about its importance. Feuer works for the national Student Environmental Action Coalition.
April 20, noon-1:30 p.m.: Brown bag in Jaqua Auditorium, Hugel Science Center room 103, featuring Bill Sweeney of Jacobsburg Environmental Center, who will discuss preserving the environment and healthy ecosystems in combination with outdoor recreation opportunities and unique natural areas. Free pizza will be served.
April 21, 7-8:30 p.m.: Presentation in Gagnon Lecture Hall, Hugel Science Center room 100, by mechanical engineering majors Doug Fox ’05 (Peace Dale, R.I.) and Wes Lane ’05 (Plaistow, N.H.) on their senior project to create a biodiesel engine.
April 22, noon: Talk by Stacy Levy at the Williams Center for the Arts Gallery about her installation and its representation of a longing for the clean and perfect bodies of water that are missing from the environment.
April 22, 6-10 p.m.: Earth Day festivities at McKelvy House, including free food and outdoor activities like volleyball and Frisbee as well as tie-dying and a hemp jewelry-making workshop.
April 23, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.: Area students, conservationists, and nature enthusiasts will work together to clean up the Bushkill Creek Watershed. Projects will include litter cleanups along the lower Bushkill and trail work, invasive species removal, and native plant restoration at Jacobsburg Park. Volunteers should bring lunch, a beverage, and work gloves.
April 25, 8-10 p.m.: Visit and lecture in Colton Chapel by two-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who will discuss politics and the environment.