From the local to the global, humans have dramatically transformed the earth in order to produce food. The growing of crops across our planet has transformed forests, grasslands, and savannas into monoculture agricultural landscapes.

This year's theme explores the many dimensions of food production, its effects on land and sea, and its impacts on peoples, from production, to consumption. What it means to have sustainable food production will be examined. The effects of modern agriculture's wide use of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals and ever-increasing demands for water, fossil fuels, and land will be explored. The value of locally-grown food, community gardens, composting, and use of organic farming techniques will be some of the many local actions that we hope will be examined.

April 7- 18

A three-dimensional outdoor exhibit of environmental work will be on display during this time in the courtyard of Meier Hall. We hope you will visit this new addition to our series of events this year.

Monday, April 14

Representatives from state and federal government, environmental organizations, activist groups, watershed groups and more will attend. Students should come to network with environmental professionals, to investigate summer and academic year internships, and learn about potential jobs. Faculty coordinator for this event: Prof. Dan Marien, Political Science

Check in for Student Posters, 10:30 - 11:00am, Lobby, ECC

Student Poster & Art Competition, 11:00am - 12:15pm, ECC

Over 80 research posters, submitted by SSC students in many disciplines, will be judged in the morning. Visitors are encouraged to view the posters and speak with the students who created them during the competition phase and until 12:30pm. We will also be featuring an Earth Day art exhibit and competition in Vets Hall.
Faculty coordinator for poster competition: Prof. Marcos Luna, Geography
Faculty coordinator for art exhibit & competition: Prof. Ken Reker, Art

Panel Discussion:
"Feed Yourself, Feed the Planet: Global Impact of Your Food Choices"
1:30 - 3:00pm, Martin Luther King Room, ECC

This panel will explore such topics as organic foods, local food purchasing, healthy alternatives to big chain grocery stores, environmental advantages of smaller-scale and local agriculture, with question and answer period for the panel.

Panelists: A nutritionist, a local fisherwoman, a farmer's market organizer, and a representative of the Food Project, and more.
Panel Moderators: Lynn Nadeau & Jody Howard

Social Hour, 6:00 - 7:00pm, Veterans Hall, ECC

Please come for coffee, tea, and delicious desserts! Meet the members of our Earth Day Planning Committee and the speakers & award recipients for our evening program!

Earth Days 2008 Evening Program, 7:00 - 8:45pm, Veterans Hall, ECC

• Introductions & Opening Remarks
• Announcement of student poster competition & juried Art Exhibit winners
• Presentation of "Friend of the Earth" Awards by President Patricia McGuire Meservey & John Hayes
• Award to Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll
  Remarks by Mayor Driscoll
• Award to Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge
  Accepted by Erika Spanger-Siegfried, Northeast Climate Project Manager, UCS Climate Program. Erika will speak on two current UCS campaigns: Global Climate Change, & Food and the Environment.
• Intro of Keynote Speaker by Doug Petersen, Comm. of Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
• Presentation by Gerry Palano, Renewable Energy Coordinator, MDAR
  Gerry will speak about what is happening with sustainable agriculture, organic foods, and other local farm, food, and renewable energy issues related to Mass. agriculture.
• Conclusion and announcements of other events during the week

April 15 - 18: SSC Earth Days Film & Speaker Series

Tues., April 15, 11:00am - 12:15pm, MLK, Jr. Room, ECC

"The Hidden Destruction of the Appalachian Mountains"
Presentation by Dave Cooper, environmental activist, Lexington, KY
Sponsored by the Salem Geographical Society (Geography Student Club). Pizza & soda provided

In Virginia, West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, coal companies blast as much as 600 feet off the top of the mountains, then dump the rock and debris into mountain streams. Over 300,000 acres of the most beautiful and productive hardwood forests in America have been turned into barren grasslands. Mountaintop removal mining increases flooding, contaminates drinking water supplies, cracks foundations of nearby homes, and showers towns with dust and noise from blasting. The Mountaintop Removal Road Show features a beautiful and thought-provoking multimedia show with traditional Appalachian music and culture. Dave will explain what it is like to live near a mountaintop removal mine and answer questions.

Tues., April 15, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Central Campus Residence Hall, Seminar Room, 1st Floor

"King Corn" – a documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.
Moderators: Prof. Jamie Wilson, History & Prof. Marcos Luna, Geography

Two best friends from college find, to their great surprise, that their grandfathers were born and raised in the same Iowa town, Greene, Iowa. They decide to move there to trace their roots, learn something about farm life, and explore where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors and relatives, they plant and grow a bumper crop of corn. But when they follow how the corn is used, troubling questions emerge.

Wed., April 16, 10:00am & 2:00pm
Tours of SSC's Cat Cove Aquaculture Lab
92 Fort Ave., Salem (Just past Salem power plant.)
We are trying to arrange car pooling from OLD tennis courts at 9:45am & 1:45pm

Participants in this tour will observe aquatic organisms being produced and grown for restoration, enhancement and commercial initiatives. A brief history of the facility and how it has evolved will be provided. Projects from Cape Ann to Cape Cod will be discussed and linked to securing a safe and dependable supply of high quality seafood (whether from the ocean or freshwater; such as largemouth bass being grown in cranberry bogs). Tours led by Drs. Mark Fregeau and/or Joe Buttner, assisted by Hatchery Manager Scott Weston and student workers.

Wed., April 16, 2:30-3:30pm, Slater Hall, Meier Hall 444
"Supporting Local Farmers, Buying Local"
Sponsored by the Biological Society (Biology Student Club). Food & drinks provided.

A presentation by Christine Rasmussen of the 'Essex County and the Merrimack Valley Buy Fresh' program

Thurs., April 17, 11:00am-12:15pm, MLK, Jr. Room, Ellison Center

"King Corn" – see 4/15 description
Sponsored by Earth Science Association (Geology Student Club). Pizza & sodas provided.

POSTPONED! Will be held on Thursday, April 24
3:30 - 4:30pm, Meier Hall 238

"The Eco-Friendly Sport of Sea Kayaking: an Inuit Legacy and Wave of the Future".
Presented by Prof. Kevin Beckwith, Economics Dept.
Sponsored by the Economics Student Club.
Kevin is President of the North Shore Paddlers Club and co-founder of Rock, Paddle, Surf - a kayak coaching service located in Salem. Come and learn about sea-kayaking. We'll be discussing the history and origin of sea-kayaking, the eco-friendly nature of the sport and conservation goals, the things you'll need to begin enjoying the sport, and the places to find paddlers in your area.

Thurs., April 17, 7:00pm, Meeting Room, Bates Residence Hall
"King Corn" – see 4/15 description
Moderator: Carly Schumacher, SSC Student

Fri., April 18, 2:00 – 3:00pm, Meier Hall 238

"The Greening of Corporate America: the Economics Behind One Company's
Decision to Go Green"
By David McCue, Chairman and Founder of the McCue Corporation of Salem, Mass.
Lecture organized by the Economics student club, Economics Department.

David McCue was born and raised in London, England, and attended Newlands School in Sussex and Winchester College in Hampshire. In 1973, he was awarded a Morehead Scholarship to the Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, graduating summa cum laude in 1976. In 1977, David moved to Boston and spent 11 years working in sales, product design and marketing for a manufacturer of equipment for the retail industry. He founded McCue Corporation in 1988 with the goal of bringing innovative equipment and services to retail. He holds several U.S. and international patents for products he has created, and McCue Corporation is the retail industry's recognized leader in protective and decorative bumper and shopping cart management systems, twice having been listed in the INC 500 ranking of fast-growing privately held companies.

Earth Day Events Sponsored By MASSPIRG
Wed., April 16, 10:30am -2:00pm, Alumni Plaza, Ellison Campus Center
Stationary Bike Powers a Light! Do your own comparison of energy used to power a standard bulb vs. a CFL bulb! Enjoy a solar smoothie & learn about MassPIRG!

For More Info

Contact Co-coordinators of Earth Day Planning Committee:
John Hayes, Geography, 978-542-6922
Hope Benne, History

Participating 2007-08 Earth Day Committee Members

With Contributions From

The BioSociety, the Salem Geographical Society, and the Earth Science Association

Financial Support for Earth Days 2008 Generously Provided By:

President Patricia Maguire Meservey, Office of the President
Dean Marc Glasser, The Graduate School
Tefferteller Foundation
HealthLink