Ohio Dominican Offers Programs, Events for a Week-Long Celebration of Earth Day
April 21 , 2008
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Beginning April 21 through April 25, Ohio Dominican University’s Environmental Science Department, as part of the national April 22 Earth Day event recognition, has scheduled a week-long celebration (eARTh Week) of speakers, activities and projects focused on the environment.
“I commend the efforts of ODU’s Environmental Science Professor Chad King and the Sustainability Council for their diligence and hard work with leading the planning for this project,” said Bishop James A. Griffin, ODU Interim President. “These events and projects will truly expose students, faculty and staff to new and different aspects of their environment.”
“We wanted to assemble events and activities that would be educational, entertaining, challenging and fun,” said King. “We would not have been successful without the help and support of the ODU community.” There are nine events scheduled (detailed outline attached) for ODU’s eARTH Week including:
- Food taste test – Jose Madrid Chips and Salsa that are made by Jose Madrid in Zanesville, Ohio.
- Speaker – Ben Sippel, owner of Sipple Family Farm in Mt. Gilead, Ohio
- Speakers – Sr. Dian Kozlowski, O.P. and Sr. Jane Belanger, O.P. from Shepherd’s Corner at Dominican Acres, a ministry sponsored by the Congregation of Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs. Dominican Acres is a 160-acre green space surrounded on four sides by the eastward sprawl of Columbus.
- Story of Stuff movie – a 20-minute fast paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns
- Sustainability Roundtable Discussion – “What can we do as a campus to be more sustainable?”
- Stream Clean-up (At Alum-Creek near ODU’s main campus)
- In addition to the events listed above, there will be a “residence hall recycling challenge” where student residents will recycle cans, plastic bottles and paper. Finally students, faculty and staff will be able to participate in a “ride share/biking” program.
Monday, April 21
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Erskine Lobby – local food taste test, Jose Madrid Chips and Salsa
The majority of our food travels 1,300 to 2,000 miles from farm to consumer. Much of this transport involves using fuel intensive trucks. One way to reduce this fuel consumption and to build the local economy is through local purchases. Come sample chips and salsa that are made by Jose Madrid in Zanesville, OH, only 55 miles away. There will be a number of salsa flavors to try, with the opportunity to order ones you like. While your mouth’s on fire, sign up for other eARTh Week events.
Tuesday, April 22
Noon – 1:00 p.m., Erskine Hall Room 301, brown bag lunch speaker: Local Food, the story of a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
Come hear the success story of a local CSA. Ben and Lisa Sippel own a 77-acre farm in Mt. Gilead, OH (45 minutes north of Columbus), where they operate a CSA that provides families across central Ohio with fresh seasonal produce. In their CSA, they grow food using sustainable, organic practices, and provide a way to form personal relationships between farmers and consumers, a local alternative to traditional food distribution. As a side note, Ben graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with degrees in Environmental Science and Geography, and Lisa is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University’s Education program.
Wednesday, April 23
Noon -1:00 p.m., Erskine Hall Room 301, brown bag lunch speaker: Ecospirituality and ecojustice by example at Shepherd's Corner
Sr. Diane Kozlowski, O.P. and Sr. Jane Belanger, O.P. will talk about Shepherd's Corner at Dominican Acres, a 160-acre green space surrounded on four sides by the eastward sprawl of Columbus. The property's diverse range of habitats offers a haven for wildlife and native flora and a place of peace, natural beauty and spiritual refreshment for harried humans. At Shepherd's Corner you'll find chemical-free naturally grown gardens, including the Hope Sprouts Community Garden, flocks of free-range turkeys, chickens and sheep, a turf labyrinth, greenhouses, beehives, and walking trails.
Thursday, April 24
“Buy Nothing Day”
The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population but consumes 30 percent of the world’s resources and creates 30% of the earth’s waste. If everybody consumed at U.S. rates, we would need three to five earths. The average U.S. person now consumes twice as much as he or she did 50 years ago. In the U.S., our national happiness peaked sometime in the 1950s. Commit today to do something about it. Pledge to buy nothing today as a step towards reevaluating our consumption.
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Story of Stuff movie, Erskine Hall Lobby
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the “stuff” in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It willteach you something, make you laugh, and may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Friday, April 25
Noon - 1:00 p.m., Erskine Hall Room 301, ODU Roundtable: “What can we do as a campus to be more sustainable?”
Join the discussion of sustainability on campus. What are we doing now to “green”campus? What are ideas that you have of what ODU should do to become more sustainable? What are other universities doing that we can learn from? How can ODU model sustainability as an institution?
ODU Wehrle Art Gallery-Helma Groot Exhibit Closing Reception
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Wehrle Gallery
A reception concluding the exhibition of Groot’s “The Distance Between Us.” Groot is an internationally recognized artist whose mobiles hang in collections from Columbus to her native Holland. Her work often addresses contemporary political and environmental issues through a medium best known for its whimsical qualities.
Saturday, April 26
8:00 a.m. – Noon. Stream Cleanup, team meets outside of Erskine Hall
Contribute to the efforts of the Friends of Alum Creek and its Tributaries in protecting the watershed where Ohio Dominican University is located. Join a city-wide Earth Day volunteer event by removing trash from the streams that border our campus. Gloves will be provided. Come dressed for potentially dirty, potentially wet work that will make a difference.
