University News
WIU Environmental Summit Celebrates 10th Anniversary April 2, 3
March 26, 2013
MACOMB, IL – The 10th annual Environmental Summit at Western Illinois University will be held Tuesday, April 2, on the WIU-Quad Cities Riverfront campus and Wednesday, April 3, on the Macomb campus.
The WIU-QC event, open from 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., will include panel discussions, information tables and speakers.
The Quad Cities schedule includes:
• Opening remarks from WIU-QC faculty (11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.)
• Concurrent 45-minute panel sessions (starting at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.)
• Speaker: Cliff Thompson, sustainability building specialist, Habitat for Humanity for Iowa (3:30-4:15 p.m.)
• Jean Harman, Food Security Team chief, U.S. Peace Corps (4:45-5:45 p.m.)
All events are open free to the public.
The Macomb Summit will run from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the University Union and is open free to the public. The theme of this year's event is "Making Peace With the Planet," which coincides with WIU's annual theme of "War and Peace: From Personal Conflict to Global Resolution."
The Macomb Summit also includes two speakers, Thompson, who will speak about "The Greening Habitat in the 21st Century," at 11 a.m. and Harman, who will deliver the keynote address at noon, titled, "Sustainable Food Security in a Peaceful 21st Century." Both presentations are in the University Union's Grand Ballroom.
At 1 p.m., both speakers will be part of a panel discussion, "Making Peace with the Planet," in the Grand Ballroom.
Throughout the day, more than 50 presenters will be set up in the Grand Ballroom with information about campus and community sustainability projects. Students from WIU's Department of Dietetics, Fashion Merchandising and Hospitality will display clothing made of recycled materials, and a display of recycled art will be available for viewing.
From 4 – 5 p.m., a Student Summit will be held at WIU's Horn Field Campus, and a reception will be held at the West Central Illinois Arts Center, in downtown Macomb, from 6 – 7:30 p.m.
In addition to the Summit, the event's planning committee will complete a Green Space Legacy Project in coordination with Citizens Bank in Macomb. As part of the programming, volunteers will help landscape the green space beside the bank downtown.
Sponsors of the Summit's student awards include Farmland Foods and Waste Management, and the event's community partners are Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and Development in Macomb and Peace of Earth Lodge and Environmental Learning Center in rural Rushville.
Prairie Hills is a non-profit organization that helps with economic development, land conservation, water management and environmental concerns in the region.
Peace of Earth Lodge, owned by Tim and Pat Sullivan, is an eco-lodge that includes bed and breakfast accommodations with energy conservation and sustainability in mind. Lodging at Peace of Earth, includes lodge-style housing, cabins and a tree house. Practices incorporated into the lodge's day-to-day operation include passive solar heat, composting food waste and educational and low-impact recreational programming, including a new nature playground.
For more information on Prairie Hills, visit prairiehillsrcd.org and for more on Peace of Earth Lodge, visit peaceofearth.net.
For more information about the summit, visit wiu.edu/summit.
Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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