Earth Day/Week 2009 - April 22

This is an archive of our Earth Day celebration from 2009. Please see our iTunes U Earth Day site for audio and video from 2009's presentors.

It's time to start thinking about the warm days of spring and UW-Whitewater's annual Earth Day celebration. The campus will again be hosting the event with keynote speakers from around the country, an environmental awards ceremony, and other information sessions and fun activities.

The event is free and is open to anyone who is concerned and curious about environmental issues. School teachers and students are especially welcome.

Conference at a glance

"Sustainability in the Marketplace" is the theme of this year's Earth Day event. With global concern over the state of our economy, there is no better time to examine new ways of conducting business, promote innovative and more sustainable products, and discuss the market's role in reducing our society's footprint and building a better planet. Our theme is also a way to highlight our opportunities and responsibilities as consumers and identifying how our regional economy can be setting an example to follow.

Full Schedule for Wednesday - Earth Day

8:30-9:00 - Chancellor's welcome and awards presentation
Hamilton Center

9:00-9:50 - Dr. Sonya Newenhouse
Hamilton Center

An Eco-Entrepreneur's Career Midstream: her path and tips to designing a fulfilling career
President, Madison Environmental Group, Inc., and Community Car
Newenhouse is president of Madison Environmental Group, Inc., a creative consulting firm that works with individuals and organizations to improve communities and the environment by focusing on transportation, green building and motivational environmental programs. She also is founding president of Community Car, Wisconsin's first Car Share Organization.

10:00-10:50 - Marc Geller
Hamilton Center

Driving Change: How Driving Electric Rocked My World (and will yours, too)
Advocate and writer, Plug In America
Geller co-founded both DontCrush.com and Plug In America to advocate for better public and corporate policy related to electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and related source energy. He is on the Board of Directors of the Electric Auto Association and co-founder of the San Francisco chapter.

11:00-11:50 - Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Human-Power Possibilities (Hamilton Center)
  Join Tamara Dean, author of the The Human Powered Home, to think about a new way of living. Thanks to pedals, treadles, and cranks, our muscles have operated machines since medieval times. Could we once again rely on human power, rather than fossil fuels, to run our lives? How much power can one person generate? Discover the answers to these questions and learn about ingenious human-powered contraptions used around the globe today.
• Campus Sustainability, a panel discussion (University Center 266)
  Overview of current sustainability projects at UW-Whitewater and discussion with the audience about future efforts. Bring your ideas!
• Greening of Religion, a panel discussion (University Center 259)
  Representatives from a variety of world religions will discuss the perspective on ecology offered by different systems of belief.
• Local Foods, a panel discussion (University Center 261)
  What are our local food options and what makes them sustainable? Learn how you can be a part of your local food system.

11:00-2:20 - Alternative Car Show and Eco-tours of Campus
During and after the lunch hour, there will be model hybrid and electric cars on display in the Upham Parking Lot, as well as discussions about the current and projected technologies of these vehicles. There will also be eco-walking tours of campus that will meet just outside the north entrance of the University Center at 12:30.

1:30-2:20 - Dr. Paul Lorah
Hamilton Center

Carbon, Cash and the New Wilderness
Associate Professor, University of St. Thomas, Department of Geography
Dr. Lorah earned his master's degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Ph.D. at Indiana University at Bloomington. His research focuses on sustainable development and the links between environmental amenities and economic security. He has served as a consultant to the World Wildlife Fund and the Great Plains Restoration Council and is currently the chair of the Minnesota Nature Conservancy's Conservation Committee.

On-going throughout the day

• Business Bazaar in the University Center - learn more about local businesses and the innovative, environmentally-friendly products that they're bringing to the market place
• Earth Day T-shirts will be on sale in the University Center
• Geology photos and posters in Upham Hall - learn more about the earth itself in posters in Upham Hall's entryway

Thank you to this year's sponsors

Students Allied for a Green Earth (special thanks to Patrick Broderick and Tony Dobner), Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Department of Geography and Geology, Department of Languages and Literatures, Department of Physics, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, College of Arts and Communications, College of Business and Economics (special thanks to K. Praveen Parboteeah), College of Education, College of Letters and Sciences (special thanks to Paul Rybski, Juk Bhattacharyya, David Travis, and Mary Pinkerton), Leadership Development (special thanks to Kim Clarksen), Office of Continuing Education (special thanks to Mara Lee Searing), and Chancellor Richard Telfer

For further information