Beginning April 18 through 22, the 12th Annual Earth Week at Bellevue College will take place. The theme of Earth Week this year is “Environmental and Social Justice.” All the lectures and films, generally expected to take about 50 minutes each, will be taking place on the main campus in the BC Cafeteria (Room C130) unless otherwise specified. Among the distinguished speakers are some of BC’s very own, such as Tim Kearney (Mathematics Instructor), Mike Hanson (Botany Instructor), Michael Meyer (English Instructor), Deric Gruen (Sustainability Coordinator), and Mark Storey (Philosophy Instructor). Topics will include everything from food justice issues and clean technology to poetry and the “comedy of economics and climate change.” The films showcased will include “Blue Gold: World Water Wars,” “Gasland,” and “End of the Line.” (For a complete list of all the films that will be shown and film summaries check the Bellevue College Earth Week website at http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/earthweek.)
This week of environmental awareness comes at a crucial time as climate change has been thrust once again into the media spotlight. Studies from various research institutes across the country have discovered that global warming is pushing ocean temperatures so high that it could lead to a disruption in the marine food chain and vast coral reef damage. Recent research has also tied global warming to increasing forest fires around the planet. Simple steps like taking the bus and walking more often can help because it takes more cars out of the equation, and thus reduces carbon emissions. Earth Week at Bellevue College will cover an extensive array of subjects so students are bound to learn something new and interesting.
The first official BC Earth Week took place in the spring of the year 2000. Initially, Earth Week (started by the Bellevue College Science Club) was a method of spreading environmental awareness to students and faculty at Bellevue College. Earth Week started by giving prizes and treats to students and faculty members who rode the bus to school or carpooled. BC Earth Week has now become a five-day event filled with lectures, demonstrations, presentations and memorable speakers.
For more information on BC’s Earth Week and a full schedule of speakers, subjects, and times please visit the Bellevue College Earth Week website at http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/earthweek. Also, keep an eye out for The Jibsheet’s Earth Week Issue!