Office of Sustainability Collaborates with the West Chester Green Team for Programming
This semester, West Chester University’s Office of Sustainability (OoS) is expanding its partnership with the West Chester Green Team (WCGT) by co-hosting four events, all free and open to the public. WCGT is a non-governmental
civic organization in Chester County that works to educate the public and establish
and nourish local green initiatives.
The first event is a screening of Common Ground, a film from the creators of Kiss the Ground, on Monday, September 9, at 7 p.m. in the Business and Public Management Center (BPMC), Room 101. With a star-studded cast, this documentary shares stories from those on the front lines of the food movement and explores how humanity’s problems connect to the world’s soils. WCGT will host a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the BPMC lobby. WCU University Libraries is also co-hosting.
On Monday, September 23, the second collaboration with WCGT brings Ryan Davis to campus to discuss “Converting Lawns to Meadow Habitat.” Davis is senior forest projects manager for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. He will take the podium at 7:30 p.m. in the Sciences and Engineering Center and the Commons (SECC) Ballroom A, following the WCGT’s 6:30 presentation of male gardeners honors.
Look for more information soon on these two additional events, also free and open to the public, co-hosted with the WCGT:
Wednesday, October 23: Poet Ramya Ramana will be on campus to discuss how creativity and sustainability are intertwined. One of her presentations will be at the OoS Sustainability Research and Practice Seminars (see below for the schedule), held each Wednesday during the semester at 12 p.m. in Sykes Student Union 255 A/B) and via Zoom.
Monday, October 28: Environmental Progress in Chester County, a panel discussion with the Chester County Commissioners and the county’s Sustainability Director Rachael Griffith. The program begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception, with the panel beginning at 7 p.m. in SECC Room 101A.
The first meeting of the WCU Sustainability Council takes place Friday, September 13, at 1:30 p.m. in Sykes 252 and on Zoom. For information, contact Council Chair Dr. Aliza Richman or sustainability@wcupa.edu.
Fall 2024 Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar Series
Join us every Wednesday at lunchtime from 12 to 12:50 p.m. in person 255 A/B Sykes Student Union or via Zoom to learn how WCU scholars, staff, and students explore and apply principles of environmental, social, and economic sustainability in their research and practice. For more information, visit wcupa.edu/sustainability or email sustainability@wcupa.edu. Free and open to the community.
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 9/18/2024 | Dr. Dean Johnson, Philosophy | Building Sustainability Through Conflict Transformation and a Just Peace |
| 9/25/2024 | Finn Schmidhuber ’25 | A Brighter Tomorrow with Darker Skies: Understanding the Consequences of Excessive Light and Combating Light Pollution at West Chester University |
| 10/2/2024 |
Shay Gillespie, Associate Director, Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact Sustainability Peer Educators |
Voter Registration, Education, and the Connection to Sustainability |
| 10/9/2024 | Dr. Steven Hughes, Cheyney University, head of Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory | Sustainable Aquaculture and Youth Mentorship |
| 10/16/2024 | Dr. Jeanie Subach, Nutrition | Knowledge levels of sustainable food purchasing and preparation practices of WCU Students |
| 10/23/2024 | A discussion with Ramya Ramana, Poet, moderated by Dr. Cheryl Wanko, English, and Dr. Cherise Pollard, English | Poetry and Sustainability: How Creativity Can be a Form of Activism |
| 10/30/2024 | Dr. Casey R. Schmitt, Interdisciplinary Studies and Exploratory Studies | The Pennsylvania Wilds and the Rhetorical Construction of Wilderness |
| 11/6/2024 | Dr. Jennifer Uehling, Biology | What can We learn from cavity-nesting birds? |
| 11/13/2024 | Dr. Abbie S. Ganas, Chemistry | Sustainable Extraction and Synthesis of a Cellulose Derived Aerogel |
| 11/20/2024 | Carly Lare, Executive Director of the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association | The Disconnect Between Communities & Our Waterways |
| 12/4/2024 | Dr. Ramona Stone, Public Health Sciences | Urban Sustainable Neighborhoods: HOPE VI Revitalization of Sheppard Square in Louisville, KY |
Sponsored by WCU’s Office of Sustainability, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the Sustainability Council’s Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee.