Green Week 2014
by Solvegi Shmulsky
Landmark College ushers in spring with a week-long series of events focused on the science of global warming and the role that individuals can take to protect the environment. “Green Week” will start on Earth Day, Monday, April 22, and continue through Saturday April 26. Highlights will be the Res Hall Energy Challenge, Thursday evening Energy Summit, and Vermont Student Climate Coalition trip.
When asked about the impact of raising environmental awareness in the community, Landmark College President Peter Eden said, “My hope is that Green Week efforts will demonstrate the lifestyle changes are not as difficult as one might imagine, and while individual changes to reduce emissions and energy use are important, collective, team efforts are even more potent.”
Green Week 2014 Event Calendar
April 14 Res Hall Energy Challenge
The Res Hall Energy Challenge is designed so that students experience the large-scale results of a group effort to save energy. Starting April 14, buildings on the upper campus will compete to see who can dial down their energy use the most. Results of the Res Hall Energy Challenge will be announced on Thursday, April 24.
April 24 Energy Summit
Landmark College will hold its first ever Energy Summit on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at the Brooks M. O’Brien Auditorium in the East Academic Building. Guests will include Endicott College faculty member Chris Tripler, who is an expert in ecosystems and climate, and nationally published photojournalist Tom Clynes. A brief presentation on the science of climate change by Tripler will be followed by a panel discussion. This event is free and open to the Landmark College community, local colleges, and the public.
Christopher E. Tripler, PhD, is an associate professor of biology and environmental science at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. He holds a BS in Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Ecology from Idaho State University. His research focuses on understanding how forests grow, interact, and change as a result of altered global climates. The Endicott College graduating class of 2010 awarded Tripler the Excellence in Teaching Award.
“Chris Tripler has a wide range of knowledge and expertise related to the earth, organisms and plants on the earth, and the climate issues confronting human beings,” explained Dr. Eden, who connected Tripler to the Energy Summit.
Tom Clynes is an author, photographer, and screenwriter who contributes regularly to National Geographic, GQ, Conservation, and Popular Science, where he is a contributing editor. The subjects of Clynes’s feature stories often meet at the intersection of science and adventure. He is the author of the book Wild Planet and is currently authoring The Boy Who Played With Fusion, to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2015.
April 26 Trip to UVM
Wrapping up Green Week on Saturday, April 26, is a trip to Burlington to allow Landmark College students to meet with the Vermont Student Climate Coalition. Student Sam Ripper of the Landmark College Environmental Club is organizing the trip with faculty adviser Andrew Stein, PhD, of the Natural Science Department.
Green Week planning has been a team effort. Landmark College student groups including The Environmental Club, Student Government Association (SGA), and the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society have collaborated with staff and faculty to bring this series of climate awareness events to the community.
Landmark College was the first institution of higher learning to pioneer college-level studies for students with dyslexia. Today, Landmark College, offering two and four-year degree options, a graduate level certificate in universal design with technology integration, and summer programs for students who learn differently, is a global leader in integrated teaching methods for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD. Students, faculty, and other professionals from all over the world are drawn to Landmark College for its innovative educational model—designed through research and practice to help all students who learn differently become confident, self-empowered, and independently successful learners.