10 Days of Celebrating the Earth

The 10 Days of Celebrating the Earth were a big success. One hundred fifty people pledged to make a sustainable change during the 10 Days. There was an opportunity to learn about hydraulic fracturing, to shop for local food at the Reynolda Village Farmers Market and to honor our trees when the university received Tree Campus USA certification for the first time. Did you miss some of the days’ events? You can sample some highlights below and check out the photos in our flickr gallery.

We would like to thank all of our 10 Days partners for their collaboration on this series of events: Campus Recreation,  Landscaping Services, Residence Life & Housing, the Office of the Chaplain, ZSR Library, Dining Services, Volunteer Service Corps, Facilities and Campus Services, and the WFU Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. We’d also like to thank all of the students, faculty, staff and community members who came out to support sustainability on campus. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Campus Dining Intern, Emily Bachman, poses with some 10 Days pledges at the kick-off Think Green Thursday event on April 19.

Volunteers from diverse faith groups on campus volunteered in the Campus Garden as part of the Interfaith Week of Service, sponsored by Volunteer Service Corps.

From left: Student Government President Nilam Patel, University President Nathan O. Hatch, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Campus Services, Jim Alty and Interim Provost Mark Welker plant a tree at the 2nd annual Arbor Day Celebration on April 20.

Join the Piedmont Environmental Alliance for the 7^th annual Piedmont Earth Day Fair. Admission and parking are both free at this fun, family-friendly event. Know someone else on campus who wants to go?  Consider walking, biking or carpooling to the event to be kind to the Earth.

Piedmont Earth Day Fair

When: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Where: Dixie Classic Fair Grounds

Spend an hour or the whole day exploring the fair. From great food to children’s activities to educational exhibits, there’s something for everyone.

Over 100 exhibitors will demonstrate the sustainable features of their products or services, highlight local initiatives to protect the environment, and share their passion for sustainable solutions to modern day living.

Children’s activities are sure to delight all ages.  From parades, face painting and pony rides to children’s exhibits featuring bees, birds, snakes, plants, butterflies and much more.  Learn more here.

In-depth, hands-on demonstrations will be conducted in the Demonstrations Tent and include topics such as composting, saving energy, water conservation and more.  View the schedule here.

Live music all day on the main stage will feature well-known local and national talent, with something for everyone, including folk, bluegrass, rock, and acoustic powerhouse.  View the talented line-up.

A wide range of delicious food, from Mexican prepared-to-order, organic hotdogs, vegetarian and vegan dishes, pizza fresh from a wood-fired oven, ice cream, gelato and more.  View the food line-up.

Explore local foods on and around campus by participating in a guided walk to Reynolda Village Farmers Market.  You can dine all day on local cuisine in the Reynolda Fresh Food Company and the Magnolia Room.

Guided Walk to Reynolda Village farmers market

When: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Benson University Center circle

Meet a guide in the Benson University Center circle and walk together to the Reynolda Village Farmers Market. The market runs from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Fridays from April until October. Bring your local food home in a free, reusable “WFU <3s Farmers” tote bag. Supplies are limited.

Earth Day at the FFCo. – Farm to Fork Friday

When: Regular dining hours

Where: The Reynolda Fresh Food Company and the Magnolia Room

Enjoy locally-sourced food during lunch or dinner at the last Farm to Fork Friday of the semester. While you dine, take a minute to learn more about other sustainable initiatives in dining like the new composting program and the innovative, green cleaning methods  used in campus dining locations.

Local foods to be featured in the Fresh Food Company and the Magnolia Room include:

• Sweet Potatoes – Ham Produce, Snow Hill, NC
• Strawberries – Cottle Farms, Faison, NC
• Salad bar items (wheat grass, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, tri-colored cauliflower, tri-colored carrots, tri-colored grape tomatoes) Sunny Creek Farms, Tryon, NC
• Apple Cider with sliced apples, Henderson Farms, Henderson County, NC
• Whole Baby Carrots – Bolthouse Farms, Suwanee, GA
• Beef for Tacos – Grayson Farms, Scottsville, VA

Celebrate the energy and water saving success of our South Campus residence halls.

Campus Conservation Nationals award ceremony

South Campus residents showed that small changes can make a big difference during the Campus Conservation Nationals in April.

From March 30 to April 20, the students in the six first-year residence halls (Bostwick, Johnson, Luter, Collins, South, and Babcock) participated in the Campus Conservation Nationals 2012, a nationwide energy and water-use reduction competition among more than 150 colleges and universities around the country.

The national competition, organized by the US Green Building Council, Lucid Design Group, the Alliance to Save Energy, and the National Wildlife Federation, encouraged campuses to give students real-time feedback on how their actions reduced the overall energy and water footprints of their residence halls. Wake Forest’s new campus-wide dashboard system  provided that feedback.

Bostwick and Johnson Hall residents won the energy reduction division of the university’s competition.  They collectively reduced their energy consumption by 12.2 percent over the three-week period.

Collins Hall residents dominated in the water division by reducing their water consumption by 16.2 percent. This placed the university nationally in the top five schools with the greatest percent reduction in water.

In total, the university’s first-year residents saved 8,445 kWh of energy and 104,706 gallons of water. Nationwide, participants in the competition saved enough energy to take 151 average-sized homes off the electrical grid for one year.

The campus competition was sponsored by Facilities and Campus Services and Residence Life and Housing.

Was your interest piqued by the Gasland screening? Celebrate Earth Day at Z. Smith Reynolds Library with further discussion of hydraulic fracturing.

Hydraulic Fracturing (“Fracking”) Panel

When: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Z. Smith Reynolds Library, 4^th Floor Auditorium

This year’s Earth Day panel will focus on the complex social, environmental and economic ramifications of hydrofracturing (“fracking”), a process of extracting natural gases from bedrock by fracturing the rock with high pressure fluid. Discussion panelists include:

• Nathan Atkinson– Mr. Atkinson is a defense attorney with Spilman Thomas and Battle. He will draw on his experience litigating complex multi-party lawsuits involving drilling, hydraulic fracturing, water contamination and toxic torts arising from exposure to various chemicals and naturally occurring elements.
• Dick Schneider, J.D. – Mr. Schneider is a professor of environmental and international business law at the WFU School of Law. He serves on the Environmental Committee of the North Carolina State Bar Association.
• Dr. Lucas Johnston – WFU Departments of Religion and Environmental Studies – Dr. Johnston is trained in sustainability studies and environmental and religious ethics. He teaches a course in the Environmental Studies program on energy policy and sustainability.
• Moderator: Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, Sustainability Director, WFU

This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

Join Z. Smith Reynolds Library and the Office of Sustainability for a free screening of the film, Gasland. Explore the controversial world of hyrdrofracturing (fracking) for natural gas in preparation for the panel discussion on April 25.

Gasland Screening

When: 6:00 p.m.

Where: Z. Smith Reynolds Library, 4^th Floor Auditorium

This screening is free and open to the public.

From the Gasland web site: “The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a “Saudia Arabia of natural gas” just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND. Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.”

Nutrition and Wellness Fair

When: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where: Benson 401

Join ARAMARK for the semi-annual Nutrition and Wellbeing Fair. Wrap up the semester with great health information to get your summer started! Check out just a few of the great opportunities at this free event:

• Yoga short course, every 15-20 minutes
• Free food samples
• Reynolda Farm Market will be selling produce and ready-to-eat foods (bring cash!)
• Fleet Feet Winston-Salem will provide gait-analysis and tips to optimize your run

Questions? Contact Campus Nutritionist, Beth Audie, RD, LDN at 

Join us for a day of advice, discussion, and networking focused on food activism.

Food Activism Workshop

When: Opening comments begin at 9:00 A.M.

Morning Session: 1:00-11:30 a.m.

Afternoon Session: 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Where: Tribble Hall

The workshop will offer participants practical advice on how to engage in the food justice movement. Local and regional food activists will discuss a broad range of approaches to community engagement. Participants will then be able to apply this information to areas of food justice which they find personally meaningful. The workshop is open to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of food activism. Participants may register at the door, but pre-registration is recommended. Register and find a full schedule and list of workshop topics here.

Join prominent university community members for an historic event honoring our campus trees. Years of hard work and dedication from Landscaping Services staff have resulted in national recognition for the university.

Then grab a group of friends and sign-up to participate in the Cardboard Boat Race. You have all weekend to craft a vessel that will make it from one end of the Reynolds Gym pool and back (twice!). The boat judging and races will be held Sunday, April 22.

2^nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration

When: 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Courtyard between Babcock and Johnson, near the volleyball courts

Landscaping Services, the Office of Sustainability, and Residence Life and Housing invite you to join us for Wake Forest’s second annual Arbor Day Celebration.  Two trees will be planted in honor of the occasion and we will hear from several prominent members of the university community about the important role of trees on our campus.

Following the planting ceremony, guests are encouraged to enjoy refreshments courtesy of Residence Life and Housing.

Cancelled: Cardboard Boat Race: Materials pick-up

When: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Where: The Office of Sustainability (Reynolda 101)

Gather a few friends and sign-up anytime today for the Cardboard Boat Race. Read the full rules and register here, then pick up free cardboard and 2 rolls of duct tape, courtesy of Campus Recreation. You may purchase extra duct tape, but keep in mind that you cannot use any other materials for your boat!   You have until Sunday at 1 p.m. to build a pool-worthy vessel.

Questions? Contact Jessica Finnerty, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, Aquatics, (336) 758-3490 or 

Kick off the 10 Days of Celebrating the Earth by picking up your free, limited edition 10 Days t-shirt made from organic cotton.

Part of a faith group on campus? Volunteer in the campus garden during the Interfaith Planting Party, part of the Interfaith Week of Service, and be a true steward of the planet. Not in a faith group, but still interested in gardening? Great! It’s not too late to get your hands dirty this spring. Sign-up for the Campus Garden listserv to stay updated on gardening hours and events.

Think Green Thursday: 10 Days Kick-off

When: 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Magnolia Patio

Pick up your 10 Days t-shirt and a full schedule of events. Office of Sustainability interns will be on hand to pass out t-shirts and answer questions about the 10 Days events. Be sure to stop by early, the t-shirts go fast!

Interfaith Garden Party

When: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: Campus Garden

Members of campus faith groups are invited to the Campus Garden (behind 1141 Polo Rd.) for a planting party featuring food, music, and service. Everyone will come together to construct a raised garden bed to grow herbs. This special gardening event is part of the Interfaith Week of Service, sponsored by the Volunteer Service Corps.