Celebrate Earth Day on Campus
Thursday, April 22nd
All Day – B-EARTH-day Celebration at the Fresh Food Company
The Pit, Benson Patio, Shorty’s, the Sundry Store
Enjoy activities and opportunities to celebrate Earth Day all day in campus dining locations. See posters in these facilities for ways to get involved.
11:00 am – Ceremonial Healing Garden Blessing
Wingate and Faculty Drive
The Native American Student Association will lead us in blessing the wooded space at the corner of Wingate and Faculty drive. Indigenous plants are being re-introduced to this already biologically diverse area of our campus as part of healing the land and restoring its ability to filter storm water from campus. Walking paths and benches create an ideal outdoor space for reflection, meditation, and restoration.
The ceremonial name being given to the garden is Nvwotohiyada awisvni – the Cherokee name for peaceful or healing garden.
Participants should bring a small handful of dirt from home, a rock, or other symbolic representation of their intentions for the space to contribute during the ceremony.
3:00 pm – Campus as a Living Classroom panel
Library Lecture Series
Z. Smith Reynolds Library – Room 204
Professors from Biology, English, History, and Religion discuss the ways they are taking teaching and research out onto campus. Explore with them the opportunities for discovering a sense of place on campus and the ways this can complement coursework and research.
7:00 pm – Tribal Environmentalism: A conversation with Law Professors Stacy Leeds and G. William Rice
DeTamble Auditorium
The Office of Multicultural Affairs is pleased to host Professors Stacy Leeds and G. William Rice for a conversation on legal and tribal governmental roles in environmental issues. Professor Stacy Leeds is a nationally recognized leader among tribal judges. She currently serves on the Tribal Advisory Board for the National Judicial College. She is also chief judge of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court. G. William Rice is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa and Co-Director of the Native American Law Center.
This event is the third in a series of programs aimed at strengthening community ties, and further increasing a collaborative partnership with American Indian communities in North Carolina. All events present an opportunity for us to discuss land rights, native cultures and respect/care for the earth, and issues of sovereignty.