A Greener Tomorrow Today
Lynchburg College has named 2007-08 the Year of the Environment with a theme of "A Greener Tomorrow Today." The College is undertaking a yearlong campaign to make the campus and its inhabitants more aware of their impact on the Earth, and to make changes that will lessen that impact.
Part of the impetus for this focus came from LC President Kenneth Garren's signing of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/, a pledge to reverse the actions that lead to global warming. Signatories agree to develop a plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible, reduce greenhouse gases, and make plans and reports fully accessible to the public.
"The goal is not only to educate the campus community about environmental issues, but also to encourage people to take action by making small changes in their everyday routines and to live in a more sustainable way," said Dr. Jamey Pavey, assistant professor of environmental science, who is heading up the committee planning the year's events. "Our theme, 'A Greener Tomorrow Today,' emphasizes the hope for a more sustainable future and the immediate need to take action."
Among other plans for the fall is a new Eco-House, which will be occupied by students who are dedicated to lessening their ecological footprint by reducing their use of fossil fuels and water by 10 percent form the previous five-year average. Students will determine what type of upgrades could make the house more efficient. They will also be recycling and composting, as well as building a rain barrel to collect water for planting native landscaping around the house.
Goals
- To raise awareness about local, national, and international environmental issues
- To increase understanding of the complexity of environmental problems and of the interconnections between society and nature
- To educate members of the campus community about how their lifestyles contribute to environmental problems and about ways to minimize these impacts
- To encourage the campus community to "Think Globally, Act Locally" by providing service opportunities
Planned Events
Date | Event Description | |
June 8-10, 2007 | Botanicos: A conference celebrating biodiversity and the 80th anniversary of the Ramsey-Freer Herbarium. Associated exhibition of herbarium specimens at Daura Gallery | |
August 17-22, 2007 | More than a dozen freshmen will camp, hike, cave, and climb in the ABOVE program, which links outdoor activities with an English course. | |
August 23, 2007 | Freshmen will discuss a common reading, Janisse Ray's "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood," during Welcome Week and their English 111 classes. | |
August-October, 2007 | "Transitions: Photographs by Robert Creamer" will be on display at the Daura Gallery, featuring 39 color images of nature, along with the "Botanicos" display from the College's Ramsey-Freer Herbarium. | |
September, 10 - 14, 2007 | Members of New Horizon and ABOVE will be seen every day climbing a giant old oak in the College Dell. The students are being trained to help facilitate others interested in finding outdoor adventure without leaving campus. Students will be climbing between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily, and will also do demonstrations from 4 to 7 p.m. September 16, when the College kicks off "A Greener Tomorrow Today: LC's Year of the Environment." | |
September, 11, 2007 | Blade Runner depicts a futuristic Los Angeles where it rains constantly, all animals are synthetic because the real ones are extinct, and Harrison Ford is a blade runner, a police officer assigned to hunt down rogue synthetic humans. Join Dr. Mike Robinson's film class in Hopwood Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 11 to see this film. Contact Dr. Robinson at 544-8600 in advance if you want to bring a class. | |
September 16, 2007 | On September 16, the College will hold a "Greener Tomorrow Today" kick-off event for the campus community. At 2 p.m., Dr. Gwynn Ramsey, curator of the Ramsey-Freer Herbarium and professor emeritus of biology, will give a gallery talk on "Botanicos," a sampling from the College's herbarium, the largest such collection at any private college in Virginia. Herbariums are scientific collections of dried, pressed, mounted, and correctly identified plan specimens. At 3 p.m., join a community worship service in Snidow Chapel led by Anne Gibbons, associate chaplain of the College. From 4 to 7 p.m., the campus community is invited to the Dell for live music, tree climbing, information displays, and a picnic. Groups participating in the event include the student-run Alliance for Energy Awareness and students in the new Eco House, an off-campus house whose residents will be dedicated to reducing their ecological footprint by reducing their use of fossil fuels and water, as well as recycling and composting. Everything's Cool, a hot documentary about global warming (www.everythingscool.org), will air at 7 and 9 p.m. in Sydnor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall. | |
September 21, 2007 | The Concert Choir will present a "Songs of Nature" concert at 8:15 p.m. September 21 in Snidow Chapel as part of Parents and Family Weekend. Selections include Kasar Mie La Gaji (The Earth is Tired) | |
October 1, 2007 | Multi-media Presentation, "The Story of Virginia Coal: From Cradle to Grave," covers the effects of coal mining and burning on the environment and communities. Hannah Morgan, secretary/treasurer, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (www.samsva.org), and freelance journalist, will speak. Hopwood Hall Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. | |
October 3, 2007 | Rising Waters: Global Warming and the Fate of the Pacific Islands, which was aired on PBS, will be shown in Westover at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3. Filmmaker Andrea Torrice will give a lecture October 4 (see below). | |
October 4, 2007 | Award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice will give the John M. Turner Lecture in the Humanities, "Putting a Human Face on the Global Warming Issue Through the Documentary," at 8 p.m. October 4 in Sydnor Performance Hall, Elliot & Rosel Schewel Hall. Limited tickets are available to the public. Check http://www.itvs.org/risingwaters/ for more on her documentary. Torrice will also be available for informal discussions at 4 p.m. October 4 in Schewel 232. | |
November 2-5, 2007 | Power Shift, a conference at the University of Maryland at College Park, is a national youth summit on the climate crisis. It will provide a chance for students to see what has worked with energy reduction, recycling programs, and other green efforts at institutions of higher education. Visit http://www.powershift07.org for more information. A group of 30 LC students will be going. If interested, contact Amanda D'Arcy darcy_a@students.lynchburg.edu. | |
November 8, 2007 | "Two Recent Supreme Court Cases: Issues of Environmental, Medical, and Administrative Law," by Dr. Ken Wagner, Sociology, Turner Faculty Lecture Series, 4 p.m., Daura Gallery. | |
November 14, 2007 | The Live Lightly Tour will stop at LC for a demonstration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. between Hundley Hall and the Burton Student Center. The Janssens, a family of three, are traveling in a veggie-oil-powered RV on a national green educational tour. The inside of the RV is remodeled with earth-friendly materials. For more information, check www.livelightlytour.com. | |
November 19, 2007 | "Caring for Creation" is the topic tackled by the Rev. Pat Watkins, environmental policy coordinator at the Virginia Interfaith Center, for the Clifton L. Snidow Lecture in Christian Life and Work at 7:30 p.m. November 19 in Snidow Chapel. | |
Spring 2008 | Senior Symposium: Environment is one of the primary themes | |
January 20, 2008 | Select Sunday in the Daura Gallery: "Nature Study Handmade Books, a Children's Workshop with Donna Drozda." Beginning with a warm-up game, "I Spy with My Artist's Eye," participants see the world through their "artist eyes" and then use their drawings to create a book. For children in 3rd-8th grades; limited to 15 participants. Pre-registration required: 434/544-8595. Daura Gallery, 2 p.m. | |
January 21, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "How Did We Get Here and What Do We Do Now? Society's Dependence on Fossil Fuels." Dr. Jamey Pavey, assistant professor of environmental science, Lynchburg College. Memorial Ballroom, Hall Campus Center, noon. | |
January 23, 2008 | "The Rhythm of the Railroad: Environmental Themes in the Poetry of John Mills Turner '29," Dr. Elza C. Tiner, John M. Turner Chair in the Humanities, Turner Faculty Lecture Series, 4 p.m., Daura Gallery. | |
January 28, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Chasing Quicksilver: The Sources, Cycling and Public Health Impacts of Mercury Pollution." Dr. Jeff Sigler, research associate, Climate Change Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS), University of New Hampshire. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
January 29, 2008 | Soylent Green, the classic film about the future of an overpopulated planet and where the food comes from. Schewel 232, 7 p.m. Large groups must contact Dr. Mike Robinson at 544-8600. | |
January 31, 2008 | Focus the Nation: an ambitious educational initiative that will culminate in national symposia held simultaneously at more than one thousand colleges, universities, high schools, and other institutions. Check http://www.focusthenation.org/ | |
February 4, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "We're Passing This World on to Our Kids." Dr. Greg Eaton, director Claytor Nature Study Center, Lynchburg College. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
"Damming the Dam: Why Some Environmental Movements Fail (Even Though They Shouldn't)," Dr. Marek Payerhin, Political Science, Turner Faculty Lecture Series, 4 p.m., Daura Gallery. | ||
February 11, 2008 | "Poetry in the West Virginia Air: Lyricism and Fatalism in a Trashed Environment," Dr. Laura Long, English, Turner Faculty Lecture Series, 4 p.m., Daura Gallery. | |
February 18, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Wetlands, Water Supply and Water Quality: The Lasting Legacy of Our Built Environments." Dr. Tom Shahady, associate professor of environmental science, Lynchburg College. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
February 25, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture. "Citizenship, Leadership, and the War on Warming." Charles Tooley, Class of 1968, Lynchburg College, former mayor of Billings, Montana and president, Tooley Communications. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
"Climate Change: Increasingly Inconvenient ." Charles Tooley '68, one of the first 50 volunteers trained by Al Gore, will present a graphic depiction of climate change. Sydnor Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m. | ||
March 10, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Environmental Governance: Past, Present, and Future." Dr. David Ostermeier, Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
| March 12, 2008 | Lecture. "Using Market Forces to Foster Environmental Protection." The Honorable Preston Bryant, Secretary of Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia. Sydnor Performance Hall, Elliot & Rosel Schewel Hall, 7 p.m. | |
March 17, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture. "Global Competitiveness, the Skills Gap, and Science Education." Dr. Bruce Fuchs, director, Office of Science Education, National Institute of Health. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
March 24, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture. "From the Bottom Up: Do State and Local Energy and Environmental Policies Affect Federal Policy?" Christopher Lawrence, Lynchburg College Class of 2005, research associate, BCS, Inc., Laurel, Md. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
| March 26, 2008 | "The Lorax" environmental program, developed by Dr. Jamey Pavey's class, will present an interactive hands-on event about pollution, deforestation, and other topics for children and parents at Amazement Square, 27 Ninth Street, Lynchburg, from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is $2. | |
March 27, 2008 | "Pages from an NPR Reporter's Notebook." John Burnett, award-winning NPR correspondent and author of Uncivilized Beasts & Shameless Hellions: Travels with an NPR Correspondent (2006, Rodale Press). Sponsored by WVTF Public Radio and Lynchburg College's Office of Public Relations and Communication Studies Program. Memorial Ballroom, 7:30 p.m. | |
| March 29, 2008 | Earth Hour, an international call to turn off all lights for an hour from 8 to 9 p.m. Sponsored on campus by the Alliance For Energy Awareness (AFEA). | |
March 31, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Moving Colleges and Universities Toward Sustainability." Dr. Bruce Coull, Carolina Distinguished Professor emeritus and dean emeritus, School of the Environment, University of South Carolina; director, South Carolina Low Country Initiative of The Center for Humans and Nature. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
| March 31, 2008 | The Rev. William Lee will give the 2008 Jennie Cutler Shumate Lecture on Christian Ministry,"The Black Church's Critique of the Ecological Crisis," Snidow Chapel, 7:30 p.m. | |
| April 1, 2008 | Recycling Demonstration to show how much trash is still being thrown away that could be recycled. Outside Burton Student Center, 4:30 to 7 p.m. Sponsored by the LC Natural Resources Committee. | |
April 7, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Democracy at Risk: The Contested Illness Claims of Nuclear Weapons Workers." Dr. Sherri Cable, associate professor of sociology, University of Tennessee. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
April 14, 2008 | Senior Symposium: "The Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program at BRIT." Amanda Neill, director of the herbarium at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) and co-director, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program, Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
April 21, 2008 | Senior Symposium Lecture: "Lynchburg Grows: Growing a Sustainable Local Food System While Improving the Lives of the Disadvantaged." Michael Van Ness, executive director, and Derrick Cunningham, president and market manager, Lynchburg Grows at the H.R. Schenkel Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center. Memorial Ballroom, noon. | |
| April 21, 2008 | "How Clear-Cut Does It Have To Be?" Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (Milkweed Editions, 1999), Memorial Ballroom, 7:30 p.m. | |
April 22, 2008 | "Rock the Dell '08" on Earth Day will feature a cleanup along College Lake, several bands, a rock wall and tree climbing, educational booths and a dumpster dive, volleyball, kickball, and ultimate frisbee. Sponsored by numerous student organizations. Dell, 3-9:30 p.m. |
Other Activities
- Living/Learning community: Above and Beyond Orientation Value Experiences (ABOVE)
- Dorm competitions for recycling, reducing energy/water usage
- Campus and stream clean-ups
- Welcome Week t-shirt
- New student group: Alliance for Energy Awareness
- Environmentally-themed films
Lynchburg College has already been working to raise environmental awareness in recent years. In addition to serving the campus community, the 470-acre Claytor Nature Study Center offers outreach programs to regional K-12 students and teachers. LC will also be dedicating a new astronomical observatory this fall at Claytor, which for an institution for Lynchburg College's size, is probably unsurpassed in North America.
The College is also working to clean up a portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes Blackwater Creek and College Lake. College Lake is rapidly filling in as storm-water runoff and sedimentation from development threaten its survival. With President Garren and Dr. Tom Shahady, associate professor of environmental science, in the lead, the College is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clean up this watershed and restore College Lake.
These and other efforts will continue beyond this academic year to help create "A Greener Tomorrow Today."
For more information, contact Shannon Brennan at 434/544-8609.