Quittie Creek Spring Cleanup
April 2 | 12 p.m. (parking lot of Yogeys Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor)
As part of "Project Clean Stream" sponsored by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, volunteers will gather in the parking lot of Yogeys Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor, just off Route 422 on South 22nd St. (behind Commerce Bank and Taco Bell and directly across from the Lebanon Valley Mall), divide into teams of 3-4 persons each, and fan out in the woods along the banks of Quittapahilla Creek to pick up trash and hunt for plastic artifacts suitable for display in the Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum. Trash bags will be provided. 

Global Chocolate Trade Presentation
April 6 | 6 p. m. (Bishop Library Atrium)
Dr. Nadine Garner is an associate professor in the Psychology Department at Millersville University, but also aids the University’s Civic and Community Engagement model by serving as Director of the Center for Sustainability and is the chair of the Sustainability Committee. Dr. Garner has assisted in planning multiple Stewards of Sustainability Conferences at the University, as well as playing a key role in training the Residential Life staff on matters of sustainability as it relates to their programming model. One of Dr. Garner’s greatest passions in regards to environmental concerns is the global chocolate trade and its impact on humans in third world countries. Dr. Garner will explain how purchasing chocolate without a Fair-Trade logo on the wrapper could mean you are contributing to the enslavement of children worldwide, while simultaneously damaging the delicate ecosystems of the planet.

She will then serve as one of the judges for the 2016 Sustainability Oratorical Contest. 

Sustainability Oratorical Contest
April 6 | 7 p.m. (Bishop Library Atrium)
Interested students will submit a speech manuscript and bibliography by March 4. Judges will review the manuscripts and choose the top six contestants to give a 6-8 min speech on April 6. The 2016 topic is “Explain a global environmental issue, and discuss how our local behaviors and actions contribute to it. What are the best ways to address this issue, in your view?”
This year's winners are as follows:

•  First prize: Abby Mosior '16, Music Education major
• Second: Steve Mazur '19, Mathematics major
• Third: Katelyn Gingrich '18, Self-Designed major

 

Bus Trip to Longwood Gardens
April 12 | 10 a.m. (will meet the bus behind Chapel)
Join the Plant Diversity class on their field trip to Longwood Gardens. The bus ride down and back is free, but you would be responsible for your own lunch, and paying the entrance fee ($5 for students, $20 non-students). The bus will be leaving LVC at 10:00 am, and should be back on campus between 5:30 – 6:00 pm. There are a limited number of seats, please contact Dr. Rebecca Urban to reserve a spot. 

Cuewe-Pehelle Installation Art
Week of April 18 (Cuewe-Pehelle Sculpture Garden outside Bishop Library) 
In commemoration of Earth Day, and in the effort to raise public awareness about an insidious problem locally and globally, Lebanon Valley College’s beloved green maiden statue Cuewe-Pehelle (in front of Bishop Library) will be adorned with dangling bits of colorful plastic trash fished from Quittapahilla Creek. 

Trash Collage
April 18 | 12–1 p.m. (Mund College Center)
In mid-December 2015, Jay Lohman began picking-up trash that he found on the ground while walking his dog. By early February 2016, less than two months later, he had enough trash collected to make a striking display. Every item on the collage was found improperly discarded on the ground, both on-campus or neighboring Annville Township streets and sidewalks. Though if placed in a trash can, many of these items would still be improperly discarded. Most materials can be recycled, upcycled, reused, or repurposed. Choose before you use; consider before you litter.

Let’s Talk Trash!
April 19 | 11 a.m. (Miller Chapel 101)
Michael Schroeder, executive director of the Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum in Annville, Pa., will offer a broad-ranging presentation on the systemic contamination of Pennsylvania’s waterways and the world’s oceans with millions of tons of plastic trash, using Lebanon County’s Quittapahilla Creek as emblematic of today’s throwaway society and an ongoing global process. 

Panel on Sustainable Agriculture
April 19 | 6–8 p.m. (Zimmerman)
Farming in Lebanon County generates nearly $350 million of revenue each year. Four local farmers will discuss the challenges of producing healthy food using methods that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.

Sustainable Lunch Hours
April 20 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (Dining Hall, Mund College Center)
Metz invites sustainable vendors to campus during the lunch hour, offering samples and information to students, faculty, and staff. The lunch menu will feature 90 percent locally produced and/or sustainable products.

Cooking with Insects
April 20 | 1 p.m.–3 p.m. (NG 130)
Join Dr. Unger’s Human Nutrition class to learn about the environmental and nutritional benefits of adding insects to your diet. Lancaster County Naturalist Lisa J. Sanchez will give an informative presentation, and then prepare some insects for people to try. There are a limited number of spots, please contact Dr. Rebecca Urban to reserve a seat. 

Campus Green Roof Tour
April 21 | 11 a.m. (Yuhas Commons)
Student Cooper Gerus will give a tour of the green roof being installed on Yuhas Commons. He will discuss the construction process, irrigation methods, and plant choices. This is a student run project that has received assistance from facilities services. The green roof will supply produce to the dining hall, inspire LVC community members to practice sustainability, and reduce energy costs for the building.

Electronics Recycling
April 22 | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (north side of Lynch)
College students and employees can drop off certain electronics for recycling. A collection truck will be set up on the north side of Lynch off Sheridan Ave. If you have any questions about whether an item is recyclable, please contact Free Geek Penn at 717-721-2494 or info@freegeekpenn.org, or email the college at computer-recycling@lvc.edu. 

Earth Day Celebration and Climate Commitment Signing Ceremony
April 22 | 12:15 p.m. (Mund Patio) (Rain Location: Mund Dining Room)
President Thayne, members of the Board of Trustees, students, faculty and staff will celebrate Earth Day by singing the Second Nature Climate Commitment, formerly knowns as the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, requiring LVC to become carbon neutral in the future. It requires the College to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while developing innovative solutions to limit our impact on the environment.

Day of Caring Spring Cleanup at Quittie Creek Nature Park
April 23 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m. (meet at the main entrance to Quittie Creek Nature Park off Bachman Road next to the Swingholm Pedestrian Bridge)
This annual Spring Cleanup is sponsored by the Lebanon County United Way and the Quittie Creek Nature Park Committee of the Friends of Old Annville. Community volunteers will divide into crews, and help spread mulch along the trails, pick up trash, remove invasive species, and spruce up the Nature Park for the coming summer.

Fairy Ring Sculpture by Karen Beall
TBA (Academic Quad)
On a warm day in April, a magical, mysterious and symbolic fairy ring will appear on the academic quad. Mushrooms are nature’s recyclers. They take organic debris and turn it in to soil. However, this fairy ring is different. It is created out of plastic lids. It will never recycle but it will break down into tiny microplastics and various chemicals that harm the soil and the surrounding waterways. Created by Karen Beall, Adjunct Instructor of Ceramics and Sculpture with the assistance of some students.