MMC Celebrates Earth Day and Launches Year of the Environment

On Earth Day, April 22, students from an array of student organizations, including the GoGreen Coalition, MMC Outreach, International Studies Club, Alpha Chi, and Omicron Delta Kappa and the Science Society, coordinated interactive table displays in the Black and White Galleries. Students sampled local organic food, potted plants, and purchased MMC Eat Green mugs and reusable grocery bags.

Students from Associate Professor of Biology Ann Aguanno’s evolution class discussed human activities that are leading to the endangerment and extinction of many species on the planet in the Nugent Lounge. The class was pleased to collect more than $120 in donations by the MMC community to the World Wildlife Fund “Time for Change” campaign.

The day closed with a “Greening the Curriculum” panel featuring Assistant Professor of Philosophy Carrie-Ann Biondi, Assistant Professor of Physics Kelsey Jordahl, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Alessandra Leri and Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Rebecca White.

On April 14, Professor Millie Burns presented student motion graphics fromher Digital Imaging II class; that evening, she lead a recycled artists’ book workshop at the 55th Street Residence Hall. On April 15, students from Professor Alessandra Leri’s Environmental Science with an Ethical Perspective course discussed conservation strategies with other students in the Black and White Galleries. Students from Professor Kelsey Jordahl’s physics course presented on compact fluorescent light bulbs. Professor Rebecca White presented the work of students in her Digital Media 1 class on April 18.

Nora Pittenger ’07, the Minneapolis City Ambassador for the EcoTuesdays organization visited the College to speak with students about sustainability in career networking and daily life on April 18 in the Regina Peruggi Room.

There were screenings of “MMC Goes Green,” a video about The Year of the Environment created by Professor of Communication Arts David Linton and Linda Sada, director of alumni relations throughout the week. There were also several screenings of “An Inconvenient Truth” on the 8th Floor space.

In support of this initiative, the MMC Library presented GreenFILE, a database it has created thatoffers perspective on the ways humans affect the environment. The library also assembled a showcase of resources on environmental issues in the 71st Street display case. The “Save a Tree” monument of unused and discarded paper from the Thomas Shanahan Library highlighted waste on natural resources.

The 2008-2009 Year of Environment will feature the introduction of an Environmental Studies minor, campus speakers, Honors Day events, Strawberry Festival, the Rudin Lecture, media presentations, and extra-curricular activities. For an upcoming event in support of The Year of the Environment, the College will host Richard West Sellars, a retired National Park Service historian and author of Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History, as the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow at Marymount Manhattan from March 16-20, 2009.

Published: May 08, 2008