Bellevue College Hosts 24th Annual Earth Week Celebration

The Office of Sustainability is hosting Earth Week at Bellevue College from April 17 to April 22. This is the 24th annual celebration, and this year’s theme is “Resilience in Action: Stronger Together,” focusing on an interconnected people and planet creating a thriving community and future. Throughout the week, they are offering a variety of in-person and virtual events ranging from speaker presentations to gardening to volunteering to giveaways. 

Going on all week is a raffle for prizes, including a custom Earth Week travel mug, a kombucha making kit, a boba tea making kit, a sourdough bread tool kit, glass water bottles, green cleaning kits and more. Raffles are done at the end of every in-person event. Additionally, an e-waste collection bin will be open from 10 a.m. on April 17 to 1 p.m. on April 21 to donate accepted old electronics. The bin will be located at the C-Building Student Union.

In-person on Monday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the C-Building Courtyard, there will be a seed-planting station for planting seeds in pots to take home, as well as a tree giveaway. 300 Trees, a local nonprofit, is giving away 100 trees to be taken home and planted to increase the tree canopy. One tree per person must be reserved using your BC email. Additionally, there will be multiple in-person talks and workshops:

• Yoga with Rachel Lowe from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. in G110. Yoga mats will be provided but you’re welcome to bring your own. Signup is required.
• A talk from Dr. Jessica Hernandez, author of “Fresh Banana Leaves,” from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in C130 or N201 (TBD).
• Repair What You Wear Workshop with Rachel Weigelt of Frayed Threads Mending from 1:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. in D106. Signup is not required, but appreciated. Participants should bring a few items needing mending (small tears, missing buttons, open seams). Sewing supplies will be provided. 
• Transportation, Housing, Land Use & more: How local actions are the key to global impact on climate change from 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. in C130.
• Bags to Bedrolls with the RISE Learning Institute from 2:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. in D106. The project is to create bedrolls from plastic bags for people experiencing homelessness; the only required skill is being able to use scissors.
• Student Presentation on the Sustainable Development Goals with Anagha Rao from 3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Virtual events on Monday include the following: 

• Just Sustainabilities in Policy, Planning and Practice with Julian Agyeman. Agyeman will share his ideas on sustainability and examples of what our cities can become from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. Registration for the Zoom Meeting is required. 

• The Secret Life of Groceries with author Benjamin Lorr will explore the American supermarket from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. Registration for the Zoom Meeting is required. 
• Isla Urbana and the Mexican Water Crisis will discuss the water crisis happening in Mexico and possible solutions from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Registration is required. 

On Tuesday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the C-Building Courtyard, there will be an Earth Market and Tabling event with local businesses and organizations, a plant giveaway with BC’s Grounds Crew and boxes of fresh organic produce that can be purchased in advance and picked up. Boxes must be reserved and paid for online in advance, but a small amount will be available for purchase day-of. Multiple presentations will also be happening on Tuesday in-person:

• Composting with Cedar Grove, a local business, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. in C130.
• Greener Living: Ways you can protect our planet with the City of Bellevue from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in D106. All participants will also receive a giveaway green cleaning kit and tools. Registration is not required but appreciated. 
• The Critical Link Between Land Use and the Environment with Futurewise from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in C130.
• Decarbonizing Seattle’s Buildings with Sierra Club from 3:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. in D106.

Virtual presentations include: 

• Meet Bellevue’s Wild Park Spaces: Discover the wild nearby with a Bellevue park ranger from 1:20 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. Registration for the Zoom Meeting is required. 
• Visualizing Washington’s Geology with Dan Coe, a cartographer, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. Registration is required. 

On Wednesday, April 19, City of Bellevue Parks is offering a forest restoration stewardship at Robinswood Park from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Meeting location TBD.) Registration is required and volunteers must sign a liability waiver. They must also bring clean sturdy closed-toe shoes, work gloves, comfortable clothing, long work pants, rain gear depending on the weather, and a bottle of water and snacks. 

For BC staff and faculty interested in stewardship, participants are able to be a part of a campus beautification project from 1:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and receive a pair of gardening gloves. The meeting place is at the fountain. 

Additionally, the Bellevue College Arboretum, a botanical garden for trees, is opening, so join the Grounds team and the Office of Sustainability to tour it from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants should meet at the fountain on campus. 

On Thursday, April 20, the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association will be holding an electric vehicle show from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the fountain and in C and E courtyards. In addition, the Office of Sustainability has put together other in-person events including the following:

• Public Transit Orientation with Hopelink from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., meeting at the fountain and including a walk to the Eastgate Park & Ride and using a provided ORCA card to ride the bus back to campus. Registration is required and participants will receive a free, pre-loaded ORCA card with a $22 value. 
• Planning for the Era of Free Electricity with BC’s Ted Spence from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. in D106. 
• Building Resilience through Clean Energy with speakers from Spark Northwest from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. in D106.
• Coming Together for the Climate: An Indigenous Perspective with Pamela Bond SeaMonster for a screening of her short film, “Yehow”, from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in D106.
• Introduction to Hiking and Backpacking with Peter Prescott, lead instructor for the Outdoor Recreation Leadership certificate and Wellness Center Director, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in C130. Registration is required. 
• Environmental Racism is a Problem: Why Should You Care? A presentation from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in D106. 
• Film Screening of “The Story of Plastic” followed by a panel with Pam Clough of Environment Washington; Veronica Padula, Ph.D, of the Seattle Aquarium; Young Grguras of Post Landfill Action Network; and Liz Schoman of Surfrider. It will be held in the C building cafeteria from 1:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
• Climate Action Springboard with leaders from People for Climate Action, Citizens Climate Lobby, 350 Eastside and 350 Seattle from 3:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. in D106. 

On Friday, April 21, multiple off-campus events will be happening. The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Habitat Restoration Project at Tibbetts Creek at Lake Sammamish State Park will be happening from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Registration is required and volunteers must wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. The meeting location will be at the Tibbetts Beach Parking Lot in the state park. Additionally, there will be a film screening and Q&A of “Coextinction” from 12:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m., location TBD. 

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the BC Wellness Center is holding a guided wilderness bike ride on the Palouse to Cascades trail. No experience or equipment is required, but registration for a spot with a bike rental included or registration for a spot where you provide your own bike is required. Meeting place is TBD. 

On Saturday, April 22, the Snoqualmie Tribe and the Mount Si High Green Team are holding their Earth Day event with a Kokanee Habitat Restoration project, talks from local leaders and a community gathering. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kimball Slough, which is across from Mt. Si High School. Registration is encouraged, and participants should dress according to the weather and bring their own mug or water bottle. Tools, snacks and gloves will be provided. 

In addition, 350 Seattle and the Sierra Club are holding a rally and march at the Seattle City Hall at 12 p.m. and Global Social Business Partners are holding a potluck and seed exchange from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Location TBD.) 

For more information and updates, check out the Office of Sustainability’s website.