Week-long schedule of events to highlight greener living

Brandeis Campus Sustainability Initiative's Earth Week 2011 begins Sunday, April 10, and features a week-long line-up of "green" events that seeks to foster sustainability across disciplines, campus, and the world.

April 10:

The Students for Environmental Action group (SEA) in conjunction with the Waltham Group and NCV will be weatherizing a home in Waltham in order to help save energy and money by decreasing heating costs and consumption. SEA estimates it will require a minimum of 35 volunteers. Volunteers will meet at 10:30 a.m. at Gosman Sports Center and walk to the house. Activities will include caulking windows and floors, fixing leaks, and more. No experience is required. If interested, suggested RSVP is available through the SEA website.

The International Business School is hosting an event on the intersection of business and the environment in China. China contains seven of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world and has become the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Brandeis Global China Connection is co-sponsoring a panel that will discuss environmental entrepreneurship. The panelists include Zhang Tao, the chief operating officer of New Ventures at the World Resources Institute and Professor Gary Jefferson, the Carl Marks Professor of International Trade and Finance at the International Business School, and visiting Chinese entrepreneurs Yucheng Yang of Sinen En-Tech, Guoqiang Gao, founder and board chairman of Ecostar, Zhen Liu, director of Shenyang SMEs Credit Guarantee Center, and Walter Ge, director of New Ventures China. The panel will be moderated by environmental studies lecturer Charles Chester. Any questions or concerns may be directed to brandeis@gccglobal.org.

April 11:

The NaturaLiving club is sponsoring, "Help the Garden Grow!" Beginning at 10 a.m. in the Patchwork Garden by Massell Quad, students will plant seedlings and construct a new raised flowerbed. The NaturaLiving club promotes changes in personal lifestyle that connect students to the Earth.

April 13:

Professor Roger Pielke Jr., a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado - Boulder, will be speaking on "The Climate Fix" at Heller G3 at 5 p.m.

April 14:

Art history professor Peter Kalb, philosophy professor Kate Moran, Marci McPhee of the Ethics Center, and Sabine von Mering, director of the Center for German and European Studies, will host "Philosophy, Ethics, and Art: Sustainability Across Disciplines" in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium at 12 p.m.

The Brandeis Campus Sustainability Initiative will also be hosting an Earth Day fair in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium beginning at 12 p.m. The fair will feature local and sustainable food, as well as various activities from the Students for Environmental Action, HellerSAVE, Eco-Reps, Brandeis Sustainability Fund, Experiential Learning, DeisBikes, and Warner Farm.

Students for Environmental Action will host their semester coffeehouse featuring performances from several campus a cappella groups including Bad Grammar, Rather Be Giraffes, Voices of Soul, and others. The coffeehouse show will begin at 9 p.m. at the Chum's coffeehouse in Usen Castle.

Finally, the week will conclude with a panel discussion sponsored by the Center for German and European Studies on "25 Years After Chernobyl" on Wednesday, April 28. Time and location TBD.

Earth Week originated in 1970 when a committee of students at the University of Pennsylvania, along with local professionals, grass roots organizations, and businessmen concluded that devoting a single day to the environment would not be enough to address all of the environmental issues. The Earth Week Committee then committed to raising public awareness of environmental problems and promoting possible solutions.