Central Sustainability has partnered with various RSO's, departments, and organizations to collectively plan and promote Earth Week at CMU. The following events occurred during 2021 Earth Week, from Sunday (April 18th) to Saturday (April 24). We look forward to hosting more of these types of events in the future, so check out the week of events and recordings below and stay tuned!
All Week Events
Central Michigan Life
Every Day is Earth Day Podcast Series
“Every Day is Earth Day” is a special mini-series from Central Michigan Life celebrating different types of sustainability from the perspectives of various community members.
Listen to all of the episodes on the CM Life website to learn more about environmental, social, cultural, economic and human sustainability.
The Center for International Ethics
Revolution of Thought Poster Exhibition Tours
Individual tours offered at your availability
http://thinkwemust.com/Exhibition/index.html
The Revolution of Thought Poster Exhibition is a gift to The Center for International Ethics from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan. The 30 poster exhibition is displayed in Powers Hall to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and to mark the entering into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in January of 2021. Tours of the exhibit are facilitated by a student docent in a 1:1 setting and run between 40-60 minutes. The tours highlight the profound history of the bombings and the impactful international activism that has been spurred since the bombings in 1945. In addition to highlighting the history of the bombings, the tours place the whole of nuclear activism and its history within the larger context of the Peace Through Law movement. The in-person tour ends with a discussion of the link between the message of this exhibition and the work of E.C. Warriner, 4th President of CMU.
Mid Michigan College
"Kiss the Ground" film screening
On your own - anytime April 14-26
https://kissthegroundmovie.com/
To mark the start of a Community Garden at Mid, and in collaboration with Interfaith Power and Light, friends are invited to a free viewing of the new award-winning film “Kiss the Ground." It’s about a solution to climate change that’s right beneath our feet - healthy soil and its ability to sequester carbon on a large scale. “Kiss the Ground” shows how regenerating the world’s soils has the potential to rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies. This film explains why transitioning to regenerative agriculture could be key in rehabilitating the planet, while simultaneously invigorating a new sense of hope and inspiration in viewers.
Sunday, April 18
Take Back the Tap and Student Environmental Alliance
Yoga, Earth, & Social Justice (In Person)
Sunday, April 18; 3:00pm
We are kicking off Earth Week with an hour of yoga, meditation, and discussion with the lovely Kris Batzner from RedBloom Yoga! Kris will lead us through a grounding yoga sequence meant to rejuvenate our spirits and reinforce our interconnection with the Earth and each other. The practice will be followed by a discussion about the importance of rest while working for social justice and how contemplative practice is a necessary tool for building a more sustainable world. The event will take place at the grassy area between Biosciences and Fabiano Hall.
Monday, April 19
Office for Diversity Education
Voices That Matter: Environmental Justice
Monday, April 19; 6:00pm
Watch the recording on Facebook live here
Voices That Matter is an educational program that highlights the important discussions and voices that often go unnoticed in our communities. Please join us on Monday, April 19 at 6:00pm for a special Voices That Matter pertaining to environmental justice perspectives from CMU students and faculty members.
Tuesday, April 20
SGA Sustainability Committee
Conversation Continued: Environmental Justice
Tuesday April 20th; 5 pm - 6 pm
This event will be an introduction to the concept of environmental justice and then small group discussions diving deeper into guided conversation about environmental justice. This is an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and ideas and learn from other students. No previous knowledge required.
Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center
Civics Workshop with the Union of Concerned Scientists
Tuesday April 20th; 6:00pm
Join the Volunteer Center as we host the Union of Concerned Scientists for an interactive online workshop about how to get civically involved in sustainability and environmental advocacy.
New America Project, Student Environmental Alliance
Eco-Socialism & The Green New Deal
Tuesday, April 20th; 8:00pm
Join New America Project and Student Environmental Alliance in celebration of Earth Week to learn more about the Green New Deal and Eco-Socialism!
Wednesday, April 21
The Center for International Ethics
Hibakusha Testimony
Wednesday, April 21; 7:30pm
http://thinkwemust.com/Hibakusha/index.html
The Center for International Ethics is partnering with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to host a live Hibakusha Testimony over Zoom on Wednesday, April 21st at 7:30pm. Hibakusha is a Japanese word used for an individual who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. The Hibakusha have been an instrumental force in bringing to consciousness the facts of the nuclear issue as well as the global movement spurred since the bombings to denuclearize the world. On April 21, 2021, Hibakusha Kunihiko Iida will present his eye-witness testimony of the bombing of Hiroshima to the CMU Community via Zoom. Mr. Iida was 3 years old and at his Hiroshima home, 900 meters from the hypocenter, on August 6, 1945.
Student Environmental Alliance, Take Back the Tap, and OWLs
Earth Week Plant Party (In Person)
Wednesday, April 21; 7:00pm
Join TBTT, SEA, and OWLs as we celebrate Earth Week with plants! We'll meet at the gazebo in Fabiano Botanical gardens (corner of Preston and Washington near the library) to hang out, plant some seeds, and deepen our connection with Mama Earth. All supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own empty containers to house plants in.
Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day)
The Center for International Ethics
Peace Flag Raising Live Stream
Thursday, April 22nd; 2:00pm
https://www.ecwarriner.com/index.html
Each year, the Peace Flag ("Pro Concordia Labor" flag) is raised at Central Michigan University to connect the story of CMU's 4th President E.C. Warriner's work on International Peace to other important stories of international ethics. Warriner advocated for the celebration of Peace Day (May 18), which was celebrated prior to World War 1. In raising the flag, we hope to harness the moral energy in the international movement of which Warriner was a part, and which continues to this day, to inspire and help us meaningfully connect to each other. The Peace Flag will be raised on Earth Day in 2021 to mark the interconnectedness of the movements for peace and sustainability.
Mt. Pleasant Citizens Climate Lobby
"I am Greta" Earth Day Film Showing
Thursday, April 22; 7:00-9:30pm
Join CMU and Citizens' Climate Lobby on Earth Day, April 22, for a film screening of "I Am Greta"! The story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is told through compelling, never-before-seen footage in this intimate documentary from Swedish director Nathan Grossman. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta - a shy schoolgirl with Asperger’s – in her rise to prominence, and her galvanizing global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world. The film culminates with her astonishing wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City.
Friday, April 23
Central Sustainability
Student Sustainability Leadership Panel
Friday, April 23; 4:00-5:30pm
In the summer of 2020, Central Sustainability formed with the goal of bringing people together to make our communities more sustainable. Now for Earth Week 2021, we are excited to share with you the first ever Student Sustainability Leadership Panel. In this 90 minute panel, we will hear from Dr. Bob Davies, Jay Kahn (CMU Facilities), Abby Shepard (Take Back the Tap), Sarah Bidgood (SGA Sustainability Committee), Max Ranger (Sierra Club), and Michael Buzzy (Center for International Ethics), as we discuss how students can engage in their communities and advocate for a more sustainable world. Additionally, we will be presenting data and the winners from the CMU 2021 Campus Race to Zero Waste.
Central Sustainability
Sustainability Alumni Panel
Friday, April 23; 6:30-7:30pm
CMU has recently developed several sustainability programs such as environmental science, environmental studies, biology, environmental engineering, and sustainability and environmental policy. As a result, numerous CMU alumni are actively pursuing exciting careers in the growing sustainability world. Therefore, in this panel moderated by CMU student Lindsey Gibb, several alumni will come together to discuss how students at CMU can prepare for a career in sustainability and how to become an advocate for a better world.