Earth Week 2022 is April 19th-22nd. Loyola University New Orleans’ Environment Program invites everyone to join us in celebrating the environment! Attend our in-person and virtual events to learn more about the environment and how to protect and sustain it. All events are open to the public. Free parking in the West Road garage.
Earth Week Opening Mass: Father Daffron | April 19th, 12:00-12:30pm | Ignatius Chapel
Focus on the environment is one of the four Universal Apostolic Priorities of the Society of Jesus. Join in prayer for the grace to live collaboratively with our natural resources.
Guest Speaker: Joey Tuminello | April 19th, 12:30-1:45pm | Ignatius Chapel
Joey Tuminello, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, McNeese State University
Title: “Food Ethics in Practice: Farm Forward and the Better Food Foundation”
This talk focuses on Tuminello's advocacy work for the nonprofit organizations Farm Forward and the Better Food Foundation. Using examples of specific projects that he has led or contributed to since 2011 (including recent and upcoming events and programs), he will discuss how these efforts to build a just, equitable, and sustainable food system both inform and are informed by my philosophical research, illustrating the importance of feedback loops in the relationship between theory and practice.
Joey Tuminello is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and Program Coordinator for the nonprofit organization Farm Forward. His research interests include the philosophies of food, medicine, animals, and environment through the lenses of hermeneutics, pragmatism, and Jainism. With Farm Forward, Joey has worked on numerous education and research projects. Joey’s lead project with Farm Forward is an annual webinar event featuring Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals (2009) and We Are the Weather (2019).
Spiritual Day in the Peace Quad | April 19th, 1:45-2:45pm | Peace Quad & Monroe Quad
Ken Weber's Activities: The drum circle is an ancient form of communication and community that resonates with the rhythm of the Earth's natural cycles. The labyrinth also provides an opportunity to meditate on our respective journeys toward the center of our existence, which we share with our common home. All are invited to participate in the drum circle and labyrinth, no experience or equipment needed.
Yoga with Abby Woods: Vinyasa flow is meant to strengthen your body while opening your heart. Through a combination of poetry, meditation and creative movement, Abby's (she/her) class is meant to help you become grounded in the present moment.
Everyone is welcome, no experience or equipment needed. If you have a yoga mat that you like, feel free to bring it along. Starts at 2:00pm in the Peace Quad.
Sustainable Solutions Panel | April 19th, 6:00-8:00pm | Miller 114
SGA's Sustainability Committee will host a non-STEM professors panel on “Sustainable Solutions from a Social Perspective." We'll be asking the panel questions on how their expertise plays a role.
Panelists:
Dr. Christian Bolden
Dr. Joel MacClellan
Dr. Bob Thomas
SGA's Sustainability Committee:
Stephanie Oblena
Tyler Sanchez
Love the Boot: St. Charles Clean Up | April 20th, 11:00am-1:00pm | Meet at Horseshoe
Do your part to keep your community clean! Meet in the horseshoe at 11:00am to get gloves and a bag to clean both sides of St. Charles Avenue from Loyola University main campus to the Broadway campus. This event is led by SEA in cooperation with the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Initiative.
Visit the KLB initiative website.
Canoe Trip with Alum Emma Reid | April 20th, 2:00pm-9:00pm | Manchac Shell Bank Bayou
Join 2016 ENVA alum Emma Reid on a canoe trip in Manchac Shell Bank Bayou. This is a unique experience you won't want to miss!
Reservation & Cost: $10 due to MO 571 before Wednesday April 13th, 2022
Bus Schedule: Meet the bus near the Mercy parking lot. The bus will leave Loyola at 2pm, arrive at Kayak Heaven Manchac Shell Bank Bayou at 3:30pm & canoe until 7:30pm and return to campus at 9pm.
Click here to view a map of the Canoe site.
What to bring:
Snack foods and water
Dress comfortably. Bring layers. Wear shoes you don't mind getting wet.
Waterproof bag to carry personal items.
Also, bug spray if you are bugged by bugs.
Earth Week Featured Speaker: Pulitzer Prize Winner Bob Marshall | April 20th, 6:00-7:00pm | Miller 114
Bob Marshall, Journalist & Climate activist
Title: "Can Louisiana win the fight with climate change?"
Award winning journalist, climate activist, and 1971 Loyola alum Bob Marshall discusses the unique challenges Louisiana will face in the wake of climate change. Can we win the fight?
Bob Marshall is a New Orleans journalist whose reporting on environmental and coastal issues at The Times-Picayune, The Lens and in radio has been recognized by two Pulitzer Prizes; the John H. Oakes Prize for Distinguished Environmental Reporting from Columbia University; the Keck Award for best science reporting from The National Academies of Sciences; national and regional Edward Murrow awards from the Radio, Television and Digital News Association; the Gannett Award for Innovative Watchdog Journalism from the Investigative Reports and Editors Association, The National Headliners Award and many others. The impact of his work has been honored by a long list of environmental and conservation groups, most recently the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Now 72, Bob lives in his native New Orleans with his wife Marie Gould, founder of Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours.
Featured Alumni: Brooke Bullock & Melanie Sferrazza | April 21st, 12:30-1:45pm | Miller 114
Brooke Bullock, 2015 ENVA alum, Sugar Roots Farm board of directors
Melanie Sferrazza, 2017 ENVA alum, CEA Research
Title: "Turning your passions into a purpose: Innovations in urban farming"
Brooke Bullock & Melanie Sferrazza will discuss urban farming and their professional experience in the field, including applying ecology-based principles to our food systems and controlled environment agriculture.
Brooke is a graduate of Loyola's Envi. Sci Program where she studied insect pollination under the direction of Dr. Thomas. Brooke was the Executive Director of Sugar Roots Farm, a 501(c)(3) teaching farm in Lower Coast Algiers. She helped transform the organization into a community hub centered on food sovereignty and land stewardship. Sugar Roots provides fresh produce, meat, eggs, honey, and medicinal herbs to the greater New Orleans region. Sugar Roots also diverts thousands of pounds of community waste from landfills each year, and uses it to generate healthy soil. Brooke is excited to continue her work in addressing food & land justice initiatives as a member of Sugar Roots' Board of Directors, and at her new home and farm in Chesterfield, MA.
Melanie Sferrazza graduated Loyola University class of 2017 with a degree in Environmental Science. Working under the wonderful Aimee Thomas, she completed a senior thesis exploring the diets of honey bees. After graduation, Melanie spent over a year working on organic farms ranging from Washington state to different parts of South Africa. Since then, she has gotten involved in the world of CEA in New York City, where her primary focus is bio control and increasing crop yields. In her spare time, Melanie can be found binging true crime podcasts or playing her banjo.
Bat Walk With Dr.Hood | April 21st, 7:30-9:00pm | Hurst Bridge, Audubon Park
Join ENVA's Dr. Hood for a evening bat walk in Audubon park! This guided walk offers the opportunity to learn more about local bats and their behavior from our resident expert. This event is free, all participants should meet at the bridge shortly before the event time.
Bat Experience...Walk over from Loyola until you get to the bridge location and you will find us with Bat Detectors.
Guest Speaker: Kevin Fitzwilliam | April 22nd, 3:30-4:30pm | Monroe 152
Kevin Fitzwilliam, Training & Workforce Development Specialist with the New Orleans Energy Smart program
Title: Sustainability in New Orleans and Louisiana
Louisiana has stood at the forefront of climate change for decades. The facts are well-known – coastal land loss, rising seas, flooding, sprawling development, etc. Now the state of Louisiana has emissions reduction goals and has ways to provide cleaner sources of energy, as well as ways to help homes and business reduce current electricity consumption. This talk will cover some of those state goals and ways to address them:
- ·Potential for a burgeoning Gulf wind industry
- ·Solar energy
- ·Energy efficiency
- ·Electric vehicle infrastructure
There are millions of careers in clean energy in the United States, whether in renewable energy or energy efficiency. I will cover ways to enter the clean energy workforce, the various types of careers under the clean-energy umbrella, and projections for future employment opportunities and technology advances in our region. Attendees will have the opportunity to give their own ideas on what changes need to take place to help our region gain a competitive edge as clean energy careers evolve and increase in number.
Additionally, our region faces numerous other environmental concerns, such as plastic waste during Mardi Gras. I will discuss these and other environmental topics.
Kevin Fitzwilliam works as the Training and Workforce Development Specialist with the Energy Smart program in New Orleans, assisting electrical contractors and small businesses to take advantage of energy-efficiency incentives. He has worked at the forefront of numerous environmental issues in the Gulf South, having taught environmental science, worked in solar-energy consulting prior, and co-founded Hollygrove Market & Farm to working with Energy Smart. He has also been centrally involved for the last five years in efforts to reduce plastic waste during Mardi Gras. Kevin is from New Orleans and earned a graduate degree in Environmental Planning & Management from LSU.
Earth Day Sustainability Fair In Palm Court | April 22nd, 4:00-7:00pm | Palm Court
Students for Environmental Action and the Environment Program will be hosting a sustainability fair in Loyola's palm court. Stop by for food, activities, art, and more. And don't forget to take the sustainability pledge for free gifts!
Vendors & Activities:
- Rain barrel painting with Design
- Design program pop-up shop
- Food provided by Sodexo
- Crafts table
- Adopt a plant from the greenhouse
- Lawn games
- Take the sustainability pledge for prizes
- Sungazing led by the Physics Department
- Live stream of the Greenhouse show
Greenhouse Gathering & Show | April 22nd, 5:00-7:00pm | Monroe Greenhouse
The environment program will be hosting a live show at the greenhouse on the Monroe hall roof as a grand finale to Earth Week! This event will also be streamed live in the Palm Court and on YouTube.
Join Frankie White, Make Your Maze, and Shmoo for an Earth Day celebration! Check out their music here:
- Shmoo
Greenhouse Stargazing | April 22nd, 7:30-9:00pm | Monroe Greenhouse
Stick around after the greenhouse show to take part in a stargazing exercise led by the physics department. Participants will have the chance to view the night sky through one of the physics department's powerful telescopes. All are welcome!