Are you interested in attending fun and stimulating events on campus? Do you want to learn more about the environment and how you can reduce your “ecological footprint”? April 22nd through the 25th, UMB will be hosting a series of events in celebration of Earth Day. This year’s events will highlight UMB’s commitment to the environment, and will serve as a building block in the Education for Sustainability (EFS) initiative that is already taking place on campus.
UMB will kick off earth week on Tuesday, April 22nd with a Green Business Fair, and an Earth Expo. In addition, director Sanford Lewis will show his film on corporate accountability, “Off the Books! Environment and Human Rights.” Earth Week celebrations will continue with an environmental film series, a beach cleanup, a narrated tour of the Boston Harbor, a green technology demonstration, and more. The highlight of the event will be a speaker forum sponsored by the Graduate Student Assembly on Wednesday, April 23rd from 2:30 to 4:00 pm in the Ryan Lounge.
Keep reading for more detailed descriptions of Earth Week Events. If you are interested in volunteering an hour or more during Earth Week, please contact Tanya Anderson ([email protected]) for more information on how you can get involved.
Speaker Symposium
Wednesday, April 23, 2:30pm: Join Gina McCarthy, Chief of Policy for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and John Warner, UMB Chemistry Department Chair/Director of the Center for Green Chemistry, for a discussion of environmental justice and personal responsibility on campus, in our communities, and in the government.
Gina McCarthy previously held the position of Executive Director of the Toxics Use Reduction Administrative Council, a position responsible for the implementation of the largest pollution prevention program in the nation. Prior to that she served as Executive Director of the Hazardous Waste Facility Site Safety Council, an agency that oversaw the siting of hazardous waste facilities. John Warner directs a large research group working on a diverse set of projects involving green chemistry using principles of crystal engineering, molecular recognition and self assembly. His work combines aspects of community outreach, government policy and industrial collaboration. Professor Warner is co-author of the book “Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice”, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Green Chemistry Institute in Washington DC. He writes, “…scientists and non-scientists must learn the interconnectivity between the construction of materials and environmental protection. This awareness must begin as early as possible in education — as early as elementary school.”
Earth Expo
For all kinds of information regarding the environment, sustainability and what YOU can do to help make this world a “greener” place, come to the Earth Expo. Here you will find information tables, posters about research projects, information about global environmental issues and how you can reduce your environmental foot print, interactive experiments and informative presentations such as: What are the 10 worst house hold products used in the home today? And, what can you use as a substitute? Do not forget to come by and fill out an environmental survey. In exchange for filling out the survey you will receive a 100% recycled Ecospun shopping bag (made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles). The Expo will take place all week in the 1st floor of the Science Building.
Film Festival
An environmental film will be shown at 1pm every day from April 22nd thru the 25th in the Provost’s Conference Room (8th floor Healey library).
Tuesday, April 22nd: “Off the Books! Environment and Human Rights” Director and attorney Sanford Lewis will come to campus to show his 30-minute film on corporate accountability. Using examples from Enron and other scandals, the film provokes discussion of broader issues such as corporate disclosure of public health, social, and environmental issues.
Wednesday, April 23rd: “Silent Spring”. Based on the famous book by Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring” explores the devastating impact of pesticides on the environment. Professor Stephen Rudnick will lead a discussion following the showing.
Thursday, April 24th: “Not the Numbers Game” Created by women filmmakers in their own countries, this film explores the role of women in solving development and population problems worldwide. A discussion of the critical role women play in solving environmental problems will follow the showing of the 44-minute film.
Friday, April 25th: “Affluenza” Chris Boble, associate professor in the Women’s Studies Department, will lead a discussion following this classis film which explores consumerism and its impact on families, communities, and the environment.
Green Technology Demonstration
The Green Technology Demonstration will feature Tom Wineman’s Alternative Energy Trailer, which demonstrates solar, thermal, photovoltaic and wind power technology in a hands-on fashion. It features a 10 meter windmill that charges the trailer’s batteries, over 12 square meters of solar panels, and 5 square meters of solar thermal panels.
Also featured will be a prototype of one of the world’s first practical solar powered vehicles, Voltaia Cooperative’s Millenium Genie. The Genie is an electric assist bicycle that gets it’s batteries charged via solar power and pulls a trailer with a 75 kg. Capacity. The Green Technology Demonstration will take place outside between McCormack and the Science Building on Thursday, April 24th.
Beach Cleanup
MassPIRG will be sponsoring a beach cleanup on Friday, May 2nd from noon to 4 pm. UMB volunteers will take a boat trip out to a harbor island to participate in a joint cleanup with students from the Willouer school.
For more information on any event, contact:
Tanya AndersonEarth Week [email protected]