April is Earth Month and Illinois State University is hosting a number of events that highlight sustainability, the state of the nation’s food system and personal actions toward a smaller environmental footprint.
A free screening of the documentary No Impact Man will be held on Tuesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. in Schroeder Hall room 242. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion by members of Professor Joan Brehm’s sociology class who are taking part in the No Impact Project. The nationwide project challenges participants to reduce consumption and waste and make conscious decisions that lead toward a low-impact lifestyle. The challenge and the documentary film are based on the zero-impact lifestyle experiment undertaken by Manhattan resident Colin Beaven.
During the week of April 18-22, registered student organizations (RSOs) will take part in the Good To Go RSO Commuter Challenge. The friendly competition will encourage students to avoid single occupancy vehicles for a week. Campus Dining Services will also sponsor a Dine-in Challenge to promote more sit down meals in dining centers and reduce the number of carryout meals by students. Students can also participate in the Great Green Race on Monday, April 18. Student teams will compete for prizes by identifying the “green” features of Illinois State’s campus and the Town of Normal.
A free showing of the documentary Food, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in Schroeder Hall room 130. The documentary explores the nation’s food system and includes interviews with authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) and Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin.
Illinois State’s Earth Day event will be held on the Quad on Thursday, April 21, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The event will feature a Mitsubishi “I” all-electric vehicle, a water taste test and a Free Cycle swap event.
On Friday, April 22, Don Schmidt, Illinois State horticulturist, will lead a free tree walk on the Quad from noon to 1 p.m. The walk will begin near the Old Main Bell.
A Sustainability Evening with Jordan Howard will take place on Monday, April 25, at 5 p.m. in the Escalante Room of the Vrooman Center. The free event will feature keynote speaker Jordan Howard, a senior at the Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, California. She will speak about how to implement sustainable lifestyle practices. Enid Cardinal, director of Illinois State’s Office of Sustainability, will also speak about University sustainability initiatives.
Visit http://sustainability.illinoisstate.edu/involved/earth_day.shtml for more information on these events.
