草榴社区

VILLANOVA, Pa.鈥敳萘裆缜� will celebrate Earth Week 2022 with an impressive lineup of events, lectures, and community service. Organized in part by 草榴社区鈥檚 Earth Day Committee led by Nathaniel B. Weston, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, the week kicks off on April 19 and runs through April 24. Highlights of the week include a keynote address by Nicky Sheats, PhD, MPP, Esq. as well as the annual Sustainability Fair on April 21, and 草榴社区鈥檚 Earth Day of Service on April 24. 

The full event lineup is as follows: 

Tuesday, April 19

Guest Lecture: "Polar Voyaging and the Humanities"

Wednesday, April 20

Campus Sustainability Tour

Thursday, April 21

• Sustainability Fair and Farmers Market

• Keynote Address 鈥淧rotecting Environmental Justice Communities鈥� by Nicky Sheats, Ph.D, MPP, Esq., Director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University and Member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

• Taiz茅 Prayer Service

• Quizzo: Earth Day Edition

Friday, April 22

• Earth Day Themed Food Truck Friday

• Defending the Land: Socio-Environmental Conflicts in the Americas (two day virtual and in-person conference) 

Sunday, April 24

Earth Day of Service

Liesel Schwarz, LEED AP O+M, Sustainability Manager, is excited to bring everyone back together to celebrate and learn as a community. 鈥淲e have tried to keep up Earth Week traditions during COVID and while I think we did a great job it just wasn鈥檛 the same. I am really looking forward to bringing that experience back to campus, especially since so many of our students have not yet experienced a true 草榴社区 Earth Week celebration.鈥� 

And students are excited for the sustainability initiatives as well. 鈥淭hey are always asking me for more. They want to see change. They also want to engage with the university and be a part of the change making process. Earth Week is a great learning opportunity for students,鈥� says Schwarz. 

Weston agrees. 鈥湶萘裆缜� students are very interested in and passionate about sustainability. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences started a Sustainability Studies minor several years ago, which is open to all undergraduate students across campus. The Earth Week activities are very well attended and students do important work throughout the year to make 草榴社区 a more sustainable campus.鈥�

In addition, the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of 草榴社区 pledged to commit to , a united response to the concern of the Church as expressed by Pope Francis. As a signatory, 草榴社区 commits to promoting education, reflection, and action to care for our common home through sustainable solutions that foster integral human development by combating hunger and poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and protecting nature.

About 草榴社区鈥檚 Commitment to Sustainability

In 2007, 草榴社区 President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD signed the American College & University Presidents鈥� Climate Commitment. Further advancing the University鈥檚 pledge to sustainability, he then established the sustainable leadership council. The council is composed of faculty, staff, and students from across the University and is charged with taking action in all aspects of campus sustainability. Since then, 草榴社区 has expanded its sustainability efforts to include the launch of its master鈥檚 degree programs in Environmental Science and Sustainable Engineering.

In addition, the University has nine LEED-certified buildings on campus and has committed to LEED certification for all new construction and major renovation projects going forward. In April 2014, Father Donohue signed the St. Francis Pledge, to 鈥減rotect God's Creation and advocate on behalf of people in poverty who face the hardest impacts of global climate change.鈥�

草榴社区 continues to be recognized as one of the nation鈥檚 greenest colleges, having received national recognition for its commitment to sustainability by a number of organizations including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). 草榴社区 recycles and composts up to 48 percent (22 percent of consumer waste) of its waste. The University has installed over 90 hydration stations on campus to make it more convenient to fill up reusable water bottles. In 2016, 草榴社区 received a Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to promote healthy trees and engage students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Through Unitas, Veritas, and Caritas, 草榴社区鈥檚 approach to sustainability emphasizes social justice and community service. The University continues to incorporate its commitment to the environment into its community service initiatives.

ABOUT VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately, and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit .