Red Rocks Community College
More information: Ted Sandquist, 303-914-6260 April 16, 2008 |
Join Red Rocks to celebrate Earth Day April 22 Lakewood - Red Rocks Community College is going green this Earth Day. As part of the international Earth Day celebration, the community is invited to a free Earth Day event on April 22 at the Lakewood Campus of Red Rocks Community College. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and attracted 20 million concerned citizens around the United States. That celebration led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. In 1990, Earth Day went global with 200 million participants in 141 countries. Since 2000, the event has focused on global warming and sustainable energy sources. The Red Rocks program will begin at 9 a.m., followed by a presentation at 11 a.m. by Roel Snider, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, on “The Future of Energy” in the college’s Teaching and Learning Center, inside Red Rocks' main entrance of the Lakewood campus. A presentation on the environmental future of the metro area through 2035, a vision created by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, will be at 1 p.m. in the Mt. Evans room. There will also be displays on environmental topics and information on green careers. In addition, a petition will be circulated demanding action from Congress to address greenhouse gas emissions through a variety of measures. The Earth Day celebration is one piece of a broader green initiative at the college. Faculty and staff have organized a Green Campus Initiative to encourage efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the college’s campuses in Lakewood and Arvada. They have joined with a national group, Focus the Nation, that is encouraging students and faculty at more than a thousand schools and colleges to focus attention on global warming solutions. Red Rocks took part in a national teach-in on environmental topics on Jan. 31. A student environmental club has formed, and Red Rocks President Michele Haney has posted a statement of support on the college’s website. “Our efforts are focused on long-term changes,” said Mabey, chair of the Green Campus committee. “We wanted to avoid being a group that puts on a nice little Earth Day celebration once a year and never thinks of it again,” he said. “We want a 10- to 15-year project for a carbon neutral campus. We’re very excited about it.” In addition, Red Rocks is offering two new courses on renewable energy topics:
The Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Lakewood campus is also on board, selling edun LIVE t-shirts made in sub-Saharan Africa. All steps in producing edun LIVE garments, from growing the cotton to shipping the product, occur in developing countries like Lesotho, Tanzania, and Uganda to support the local economies. Barnes & Noble has partnered with edun LIVE to distribute its products in more than 600 campus bookstores nationwide. For more information on the Earth Day celebration at Red Rocks, contact faculty member Jonas Mabey at 303-914-6368 or jonas.mabey@rrrcc.edu. To arrange accommodations for disabilities, contact the Office of Special Services at least 72 hours before the event at 303.914.6733. # # #
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