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裡橖眻畦 Celebrates Earth Week 2022

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VILLANOVA, Pa.裡橖眻畦 University will celebrate Earth Week 2022 with an impressive lineup of events, lectures, and community service. Organized in part by 裡橖眻畦s Earth Day Committee led by Nathaniel B. Weston, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, the week kicks off on April 19 and runs through April 24. Highlights of the week include a keynote address by Nicky Sheats, PhD, MPP, Esq. as well as the annual Sustainability Fair on April 21, and 裡橖眻畦s Earth Day of Service on April 24. 

The full event lineup is as follows

Tuesday, April 19

Guest Lecture: "Polar Voyaging and the Humanities"

Wednesday, April 20

Campus Sustainability Tour

Thursday, April 21

  • Sustainability Fair and Farmers Market

  • Keynote Address Protecting Environmental Justice Communities by Nicky Sheats, Ph.D, MPP, Esq., Director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University and Member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

  • Taiz矇 Prayer Service

  • Quizzo: Earth Day Edition

Friday, April 22

  • Earth Day Themed Food Truck Friday

  • Defending the Land: Socio-Environmental Conflicts in the Americas (two day virtual and in-person conference) 

Sunday, April 24

Earth Day of Service

Liesel Schwarz, LEED AP O+M, Sustainability Manager, is excited to bring everyone back together to celebrate and learn as a community. We have tried to keep up Earth Week traditions during COVID and while I think we did a great job it just wasnt the same. I am really looking forward to bringing that experience back to campus, especially since so many of our students have not yet experienced a true 裡橖眻畦 Earth Week celebration. 

And students are excited for the sustainability initiatives as well. They are always asking me for more. They want to see change. They also want to engage with the university and be a part of the change making process. Earth Week is a great learning opportunity for students, says Schwarz. 

Weston agrees. 裡橖眻畦 students are very interested in and passionate about sustainability. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences started a Sustainability Studies minor several years ago, which is open to all undergraduate students across campus. The Earth Week activities are very well attended and students do important work throughout the year to make 裡橖眻畦 a more sustainable campus.

In addition, the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of 裡橖眻畦 pledged to commit to , a united response to the concern of the Church as expressed by Pope Francis. As a signatory, 裡橖眻畦 commits to promoting education, reflection, and action to care for our common home through sustainable solutions that foster integral human development by combating hunger and poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and protecting nature.

About 裡橖眻畦 Universitys Commitment to Sustainability

In 2007, 裡橖眻畦 University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Further advancing the Universitys pledge to sustainability, he then established the sustainable leadership council. The council is composed of faculty, staff, and students from across the University and is charged with taking action in all aspects of campus sustainability. Since then, 裡橖眻畦 has expanded its sustainability efforts to include the launch of its masters degree programs in Environmental Science and Sustainable Engineering.

In addition, the University has nine LEED-certified buildings on campus and has committed to LEED certification for all new construction and major renovation projects going forward. In April 2014, Father Donohue signed the St. Francis Pledge, to protect God's Creation and advocate on behalf of people in poverty who face the hardest impacts of global climate change.

裡橖眻畦 continues to be recognized as one of the nations greenest colleges, having received national recognition for its commitment to sustainability by a number of organizations including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). 裡橖眻畦 recycles and composts up to 48 percent (22 percent of consumer waste) of its waste. The University has installed over 90 hydration stations on campus to make it more convenient to fill up reusable water bottles. In 2016, 裡橖眻畦 received a Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to promote healthy trees and engage students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Through Unitas, Veritas, and Caritas, 裡橖眻畦s approach to sustainability emphasizes social justice and community service. The University continues to incorporate its commitment to the environment into its community service initiatives.

 

ABOUT VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

Since 1842, 裡橖眻畦 Universitys Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately, and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and law students in the University's six collegesthe College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 裡橖眻畦 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 裡橖眻畦 University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nations top universities, 裡橖眻畦 supports its students intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit .