Earth-friendly activities Begin Friday

Apollo 13 took this image as it returned to Earth exactly 35 years ago, April 14, 1970. The image was taken after the spacecraft rounded the Moon. The Baja Peninsula and northern Mexico are visible, as is the southwestern United States, while most of the rest of North America is covered by clouds. Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean three days after this photo was taken.

Earth Day, the annual celebration of environmentally minded practices, has become Earth Week at the University.

This year, members of the University community will have a chance to pick from a whole week of activities to attend and to pitch in to create a native plant garden on Earth Day, Friday, April 22.

Earth Week activities will kick off Friday, April 15, and will include a panel discussion on climate change, a lecture about careers in environmental science and the screening of a documentary film about the environmental impact of suburban development.

The panel discussion, titled “Beyond Kyoto: Exploring the Economics, Ethics and Politics of Climate Change,” begins at 3 p.m. Friday, April 15, and is sponsored by the Environmental Concerns Organization, the Global Voices Lecture Series at International House and the Environmental Studies Program.

The discussion, which will take place in the Coulter Lounge in International House, will focus on the impact of climate change from three perspectives. William Schweiker, Professor in the Divinity School and the College, will speak on the ethical component of the issue. David Doniger, policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, will speak on the political battles centering on climate change, and University of Wisconsin economist David Bromley will speak on the economics of climate change.

The student environmental organizations ECO, the Environmental Center and the Green Campus Initiative will lead a volunteer workday Saturday, April 16, at a to-be-determined local park. To participate in this activity, contact Quinn Bernier at quinnb@uchicago.edu or Allison Hannon at ahannon@uchicago.edu.

On Monday, April 18, environmental chemist Steve Calderone will discuss careers in environmental chemistry and related fields from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Club South Lounge.

The renowned documentary The End of Suburbia will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Cobb Hall, Room 203.

The celebration of Earth Day will conclude Friday, April 22, when campus environmental groups lead a planting excursion, in which volunteers will help expand a native plant garden or plant individual wheatgrass cups. The location for this event is to be determined. To participate in this activity, contact Bernier at quinnb@uchicago.edu or Hannon at ahannon@uchicago.edu.

Earth-friendly activities begin Friday