April rife with sustainability events
April 12, 2007
April brings spring, which brings green and buds and blooms, which make the perfect backdrop for a series of Sustainability Council-sponsored events, according to Tammy Rogers, council member and Director of Stewardship and Leadership Development.
“The fact that Earth Day occurs in April, and spring is here and people are noticing everything flourishing around them, seems to make this a natural time to start thinking about sustainability issues,” Rogers said.
The series of events begins Thursday, April 12, when two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist Dr. Edward O. Wilson visits LaGrange to deliver an address for the benefit of Friends of the LaGrange College Library.
The Friends function begins at 6 p.m. and includes dinner. Tickets are $40 per person and may be reserved through April 9 by calling Mary Weiss at (706) 880-8340.
“This is a rare opportunity to hear from a man that many describe as the father of the modern environmental movement,” Rogers said.
Students also are encouraged to visit a display about Dr. Wilson and environmental issues that is currently set up in the library.
On Saturday, April 14, the Invisible Children Student Group will sponsor an art auction at the Hillside Gathering Place. The auction will raise money for the homeless children of Uganda, many of whom live a nomadic lifestyle to avoid being impressed into the military.
“Sustainability in the broader sense is also about social justice,” Rogers said, explaining the Invisible Children group’s inclusion under the sustainability umbrella.
Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” will be shown on Wednesday, April 18, in the Assembly Room at 7 p.m. Following the movie, Jennifer Downs of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light will lead a solutions-oriented discussion about the movie. Power & Light is a nonprofit organization that works with faith communities on issues of energy conservation and creation care.
The College is hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Thursday, April 19, from 11:15 a.m. until 1 p.m. on the Patio. Vendors displaying sustainability-focused exhibits are scheduled to be on hand, and a free outdoor organic lunch will be served to attending students, faculty and staff.
On Saturday, April 21, the Friendly Recycling Initiative by Students Becoming Environmentally Empowered (FRISBEE) is sponsoring a Spring Cleanup at a location to be announced.
Earth Day officially lands on Sunday, April 22. The Sustainability Council is encouraging members of the campus community to give thanks for God’s creation in a worship service of their choice.
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Todd Matthews will lecture on “Focus the Nation” on Tuesday, April 24, at 11:15 a.m. in the Bailey Room. Focus the Nation is a project that is coordinating teams of faculty and students at more than a thousand colleges, universities and K—12 schools in the U.S. to collaboratively engage in a nationwide interdisciplinary discussion about global warming.
“Focus the Nation is something the College is committed to, and we hope to have a good turnout for Todd’s presentation so students can learn about this organization and what it’s doing,” Rogers said.
The series of events concludes on Saturday, April 30, during Family Weekend when members of the Invisible Children Student Group conduct a 30-hour famine to raise awareness of the plight of Ugandan children.
