Aquinas College will be a hotbed of activity this week as part of the nationwide Earth Day celebration on Wednesday, April 22.

On Tuesday, April 21, Aquinas will host a presentation on global warming. Sr. Sharon Zayac, a Dominican nun from Springfield, Illinois who authored "Climate Change: A Faith Perspective," will speak at Aquinas in the Wege Student Center Ballroom from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. The presentation is open to the public.

An on-going effort of Earth Day-related activities at Aquinas will be launched on Tuesday. The College will be collecting used blue jeans/denims through the end of the academic year (May 8). Working in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, the College will set-up collection barrels throughout campus to acquire any used denims which will be recycled for use as home insulation.

The denim collection barrels will be in most of the College residence halls as well as the Wege Student Center, Academic Building, Mailroom and Library, among others.

The denim collection is part of a larger, collaborative nationwide effort led by a Chandler, Arizona-based firm, Bonded Logic. The company is partnering with Cotton Inc., National Geographic Kids and the Guinness Book of World Records to gather a record quantity of denim that will then be recycled into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. The insulation will then be donated to Habitat for Humanity projects throughout the U.S. >>More Information

On Wednesday, April 22, a series of activities is planned:

The AQ Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) are planning two major events. From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the SIFE Team will host a Farmer's Market on the mall in front of the Wege Student Center. The market offers an opportunity for urban dwellers to connect with local food producers as they have for the past eighty years at the Farmer's Market located near Fuller and Fulton.

The AQ SIFE team will also be unveiling its Nature Trails Project, which is designed to promote health awareness and allow community members to discover the ecological beauty of the Aquinas campus. The opening ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday near Bukowski Chapel, located at the southeast corner of the College's Fulton Street parking lot. The College's Nature Trails are available to the public for walking, running and bicycling.

Also on Wednesday, from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in the Wege Student Center Ballroom, the Sustainability Committee of the AQ Staff Assembly will make a presentation about The Rapid! Using public transportation is a great way to save gas money and green personal transportation habits. The campus community is invited to learn how The Rapid! can work for them.

Many student-related Earth Day activities are also planned, including music, face painting, an issues table and games.

To cap off its week of Earth Day-related activities, Aquinas will host the 13th Annual Wege Speaker Series on Friday, April 24. This year's lecturer will be Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, an innovative, accomplished conservation biologist and past president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. His presentation, Climate Change: Prospects for Nature, is open to the public and will be held at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center (1703 Robinson Road SE), beginning at 4 p.m.

The public is invited to attend all of the Earth Day activities, free of charge.

FEATURED ACTIVITIES

Tuesday, April 21
"Climate Change: A Faith Perspective" Speaker: Sr. Sharon Zayac
Time: 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Location: Wege Student Center Ballroom

A concert with the band Breathe Owl Breathe
Sponsored by the GEO Club
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Moose Cafe, Cook Carriage House
Cost: Free for AQ students, faculty and staff. Tickets are $5 for guests.
Free t-shirts will be given out to the first 50 people.

Wednesday, April 22
Farmer's Market
Sponsored by: AQ SIFE Team
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Wege Student Center Mall


Presentation on The Rapid!
Sponsored by: The Staff Sustainability Committee
Time: 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
Location: Wege Student Center Ballroom


Dedication of Nature Trails Project
Sponsored by: AQ SIFE Team
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Near Bukowski Chapel, Fulton Street Lot

Friday, April 24
13th Annual Wege Speaker Series: "Climate Change: Prospects for Nature"
Speaker: Dr. Thomas Lovejoy.
Time: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Location: AQ Performing Arts Center (1703 Robinson Rd SE)
>>More Information