Campus Life

Films, forums and festivals: A guide to Penn State's 2018 Earth Day(s)

Show your Earth Day spirit on social media by using #PSUEarthDays and visit the Earth Day(s) 2018 website to learn how to get involved. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Earth Day will be internationally recognized on April 22, but at Penn State, Earth Day(s) will be celebrated throughout the month of April. Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are invited to attend the events. Show your Earth Day spirit on social media by using #PSUEarthDays and visit the Earth Day(s) 2018 website to learn how to get involved.

Films

In conjunction with the Plastic Entanglements series at the Palmer Art Museum, the film “Plastic Paradise” will screen from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, in the Flex Theatre, HUB-Robeson Center. Travel to the most remote places on Earth and explore the problems associated with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Join the Penn State Council for Ag Innovation in downtown State College as they present the film “Food Evolution” narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, at the State Theatre. A panel discussion exploring the technology and policy making surrounding genetically modified foods will follow.

WPSU-TV is celebrating Earth Month with PBS and local specials throughout the month of April. Tune in to watch programs like “Managing Risk in a Changing Climate” and “POV: Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Visit the WPSU-TV Earth Month website for the full schedule.

Forums

At noon on Wednesday, April 18, in the Foster Auditorium, Brian Southwell, a researcher whose work focuses on the public’s understanding of science, will present a lecture titled “The Peril of Persistence of Misinformation.” Engage with Southwell as he discusses the spread of miscommunication and how to combat its harmful effects.

The Spring Creek Watershed Commission will hold a “Forum on Understanding and Stewarding Water Quantity and Quality in the Spring Creek Watershed” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, at the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science, 540 N. Harrison Rd., Bellefonte. Facilitated by Lara Fowler, Penn State Law senior lecturer and assistant director of outreach and engagement for the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, the forum will aim to identify issues surrounding the Spring Creek Watershed. The event is free and members are the community are encouraged to attend.

Explore the Financial Literacy & Sustainability Poster Session, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, in 229 HUB-Robeson Center. The posters, constructed from only recycled materials, examine the intersection of financial knowledge and sustainability. Refreshments will be served from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Penn State students will present their semester-long projects at the Campus and Community Sustainability Expo from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 23 at the State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St., State College. Students from diverse disciplines collaborated with local government and organizations to research and present solutions to sustainability challenges in the surrounding communities. The event is free and open to the public.

Festivals

From 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, on the HUB Lawn, Eco Action and People’s Climate Movement will host a campus and community Earth Day Celebration. Local music groups Lenina Crowne, The Local Station and Eric Ian Farmer will perform during the event, which will also have food, speakers and presentations from student organizations.

Penn State DuBois will host their 5th Annual Earth Day Celebration from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, in the Multi-Purpose Building Gym on the DuBois campus. Bring the kids for fun activities, learn how to plant a butterfly garden and gather information from the Jefferson County Master Gardeners along with over 20 local organizations and businesses.

Additional information and the full list of events can be found on the Earth Day(s) 2018 website.

Last Updated September 20, 2019