Thiel College presents its 16th annual Earth Week Celebration Schedule

GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College invites the community to join in its 16th annual celebration "Revisiting Sustainability: Still Caring for the Earth" during Earth Week on April 7 – 10.

Monday, April 7

• 4 p.m. – Tree Planting Ceremony (location TBD)
• 7 p.m. – “For the Greatest Good, or For the Least of These? The Ethic of Personal Risk and Creation Care” with Lucas Johnston, assistant professor of religion and environmental studies, Wake Forest University. Johnston’s primary intellectual passions revolve around the relationships between biocultural evolution and religion, with particular attention to contemporary sustainability-oriented social movements and cross cultural political dialogues related to ideas about nature. He is the author of Religion and Sustainability: Social Movements and the Politics of the Environment (2012), and editor of Higher Education for Sustainability: Cases, Challenges and Opportunities (2012).

Tuesday, April 8

• 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – “Children’s Workshop” Rissell-Beeghley Gymnasia, Multi-purpose Room. Area grade school students (grades 4-6) are invited to participate in this workshop where presenters from Thiel College’ science faculty and student honorary societies will facilitate demonstrations and other activities. This workshop is also open to home-schooled children; to reserve a spot, call Dr. Nick Despo at 724-589-2067.
• 7 p.m. – “Soil as Hope” with John Zirkle, Mary Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, Farm Manager. Zirkle grows and markets sustainably-grown produce and assists with the Agroecology Summer Intensive program which offers hands-on experience in soils, vegetable crop production, agroecology and farm management.

Wednesday, April 9

• 4 p.m. – Documentary-comedy film “Your Environmental Road Trip (YERT!)”, Bly Hall, Academic Center. Three friends, 50 states—one wild year! Travel across America with the YERT team as they go in search of the extraordinary innovators and courageous citizen who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises.
• 7 p.m. – “Green Building and Sustainable Development in Higher Education” Architects R.W. Larson and Construction Manager, Momentum, Inc. present current green building trends using the James Pedas Communication Center as a case study.
• 9 p.m. – Drum Circle, Upper campus quad. Percussionist James Richley of Youngstown, Ohio will facilitate this first-time Earth Week communal event. All are welcome to participate by joining in the festivities of drumming, playing other instruments, dancing, singing, contemplating, meditating, face painting, and more.

Thursday, April 10

• 7 p.m. – “First Globals: A Whole New World, A New Fantastic Point of View” with John Zogby, national pollster and co-author of The First Globals. Zogby is an internationally respected pollster who, as "The Prince of Polling," is a well-known political and social pundit. Along with Joan Snyder Kuhl, he has provided a detailed analysis of why Americans born between 1979 and 1994 are truly more globally aware and sensitive, and how they want to make their workplace and planet a better place. First Globals constitute a transformative group that is contributing to sustainability.

Earth Week at Thiel College is sponsored by the Global Institute of Thiel College in partnership with the student Life Office. All Earth Week events are free and open to the public. Events are held in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center on Thiel's campus unless otherwise noted. For additional information contact Dr. Curt Thompson at 724-589-2106.

About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.