College Community Will Explore Environmental Issues During Earth Week April 19-23

Lafayette will be observing Earth Week April 19-23, and numerous green activities have been planned for the campus community, including a new Student Conference on Sustainability April 23.

The conference will feature 19 student presentations on sustainability topics. Lafayette students were invited to submit papers they had written for classes, independent studies, honors theses, and EXCEL projects. The three best presentations will be awarded $100 prizes. Presentation topics include alternative energy, composting, recycling, sustainability projects on Lafayette’s campus, green building technology, and sustainable projects in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Brownbag discussions are planned each day on topics such as composting and the history of Earth Week. In the evenings, a variety of lectures are being offered. There will also be an opportunity to watch the student film Dig The Earth.  On Thursday, there will be an Earth Day picnic on the Quad and tours of the College’s green roof, solar array, composting, and organic garden projects.

There will be drop off locations for electronics recycling from 3-5 p.m. April 12, 22, and 23 on the Quad and off-campus from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. April 19-23 at Bushkill Commons, 901 Bushkill Drive. There will also be a Dorm Energy Conservation Competition running April 14-21. The winners will have a pizza party.

“I think our efforts are definitely having a positive effect. We are making a big difference on campus and in the community,” says Jennifer Bell ’11 (Purcellville, Va.), a geology major and president of Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection. “This year is the second year of the Lafayette student and community organic garden, which is a really exciting project. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators all come together to garden at our two-acre plot at Metzgar Fields. Our composting program is also doing great things this year. We are really scaling it up in preparation to compost lots more of our food waste.”

• Campus Sustainability Initiatives

Earth Week schedule:

• April 19, Lafayette composting brownbag, noon in Kunkel Hall room 102
• April 19, Dig The Earth film screening, 8 p.m. in Simon Center auditorium
• April 20, Pearly Bakers and Keepsake Farm local food loop brownbag, noon in Hugel Science Center room103
• April 20, “Sustainability & Ethics” lecture with Dr. Bill Lynn, 8 p.m. in Oechsle Hall room 224
• April 21, Biodiversity brownbag with Megan Rothenberger, assistant professor of biology; David Sunderlin, assistant professor of geology and environmental geosciences; and Nancy Waters, associate professor of biology, noon in Hugel 103
• April 21, Tours of Lafayette College sustainability sites, shuttles depart from Williams Center for the Arts at 4 p.m. (rain date April 23)
• April 21, “Climate Crisis” with Lance Simmens, Gore Climate Change Messenger, 7 p.m. in the Gendebien Room of Skillman Library
• April 22 History of Earth Week brownbag with David Soll, visiting post-doctoral fellow in environmental studies, noon in Hugel 103
• April 22, Earth Week crafts and displays, 4 p.m. Landis Atrium of Farinon College Center
• April 22, Earth Day picnic, hosted by Lafayette Dining Services with a performance by Tiny Hero Calvary, 4:30-7:30 p.m. on the Quad
• April 22, “Grand Challenges on Earth Day Plus 40” lecture with Dr. Jerald Schnoor, 8 p.m. in Oeshsle 224
• April 23 Lafayette is Green student presentation, noon in Van Wickle Hall room108
• April 23 Student Conference on Sustainability, 1-4:30 p.m. in Kirby Hall of Civil Right room 104, Kunkel 102, and Hugel 103