Saint Peter’s College will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a variety of activities for the campus community.
On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, Saint Peter’s welcomes Mr. Omar Freilla, who preaches environmental justice in the defense of poor communities. The founder of Green Worker Cooperatives, he developed the South Bronx-based organization in response to high unemployment and decades of environmental racism, which is the idea that minority communities are targeted as pollution sites. The organization is dedicated to addressing environmental and economic problems in the community, and implementing new sources of income that don’t exploit human labor, but are also environmentally friendly for residents. Mr. Freilla’s presentation will take place in McIntyre Lounge at 11:00 a.m.
On Thursday, April 22, 2010, there will be an Earth Day Festival sponsored by the biology department and Students Against Violating the Earth (S.A.V.E.). A nature photography exhibit will display approximately 30 black and white photos taken by Saint Peter’s students; they will have the opportunity to win prizes for their work.
Additionally, there will be a poster contest for students; each poster design relates to environmental health, and topics include air pollution, water pollution, and mold and asthma. Lastly, nutrition students will be analyzing refreshment recipes, and sharing how Phyto chemicals (a healthy extract in plants) may be ingested through the use of certain ingredients. Proceeds from refreshment sales will benefit Smile Train, an international charity that provides cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to children in need.
Taking place in Gannon Hall, Rooms 104 and 106, these events are from noon to 2:00 p.m. For more information on the Earth Day events, contact Laura Twersky, ltwersky@spc.edu or (201) 761-6434. To learn about Saint Peter’s other green initiatives, visit www.spc.edu/green.