By Mike Greife,
April 12, 2018
WARRENSBURG, MO – The Office of Sustainability and the Office of Student Activities
at the University of Central Missouri will host Earth Week 2018 April 16-21 on the
UCM campus. This year the university’s annual celebration of Earth Day also includes
the annual Teach-In on Sustainability.
Monday’s events include 3:30 and 5 p.m. showings of the movie “Minimalism” in the
Elliott Student Union Cinema, and desserts and dialogue from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Student
Recreation and Wellness Center.
Tuesday features guided hikes by the Wildlife Society from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Pertle
Springs, followed by the showing of the film “True Cost” in the Union Cinema. Closing
out Tuesday’s events is the annual Recycled and Restyled Fashion Show, planned for
6:30 p.m. in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
Free collection of e-waste and paper shredding is planned from noon to 6 p.m. at the
South East Complex located at Clark and Zoll streets. The day also is reserved for
the Earth Week Day of Service, during which UCM students will reach out the community
with a variety of sustainability service projects. Rounding out the day will be the
showing of the film “Watermark” in the Elliott Student Union Cinema.
A full day of events is planned for the Teach-In on Sustainability on Thursday. Keynote
speaker for the event will be Megean Weldon, speaking on the zero waste lifestyle
at 9:30 a.m. in Union 235. At 10:30 a.m., Melissa Abner, assistant professor of fashion
and apparel merchandising, will speak on “How Your Clothes Are Hurting the Planet,
and How to Stop It,” and Phil Miller and Steve Mohler with the Citizens for Environmental
Action will speak on “Can We Break Free From Our Fossil Fuel Addiction?” in Union
299.
The Teach-In will continue at 11:30 a.m. with a Sustainability Panel of Megan Fletcher,
UCM Sustainability Coordinator; Emily Dunlap, Chris Edmondson, Katie Williams and
Daniel Wolcott in Union 233.
Also at 11:30, Julie Kendall, owner of Warrensburg’s Café Blackadder, will speak on
“Farm to Table: Why Sourcing Food Locally and Regionally is Sustainable and Beneficial”
in Union 299.
From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Teach-In also will feature Sustainability
on the Mall, with information available about the Office of Sustainability, UCM Green
Dot, the Campus Cupboard, Clothing Swap, Sodexo Dining Services, plug-in hybrid vehicles,
and the Kansas City Sierra Club, as well as free bicycle maintenance.
Friday events for Earth Week 2018 include a water bottle giveaway from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. in Union 219 and the Kite Derby, planned for 3-5 p.m. on the lawn of the James
C. Kirkpatrick Library. Wrapping up the day’s events will be the showing of the film
“Wall-E” at 3:30 and 5 p.m. in the Union Cinema.
Concluding the week’s events will the CEA Earth Day celebration, co-sponsored by the
Citizens for Environmental Action and UCM from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.at the UCM Mitchell
Street Farm. A bike ride also is planned from 10 A.m. to 1 p.m., leaving from the
Planet Sub parking lot at Clark and Maguire streets.
For more information about UCM’s Earth Week 2018 celebration, contact the UCM Office
of Sustainability at 660-543-8733.
