Environmental Awareness/Community Activism (EACA) Learning Community

History of the EACA:  During the spring semester of 2007 several faculty members began a discussion in response to the book and film An Inconvenient Truth. From this meeting the group created the Environmental Awareness Learning Community. In order to increase awareness of global warming and other environmental issues, the learning community organized a free public showing of the film sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence.

In partnership with student organizations STAND and Young Democrats, the learning community initiated campus participation in RecycleMania, the national intercollegiate recycling competition. Fairmont State University joined two hundred other colleges and universities collecting recyclables from January 28th to April 7th. This event recycled 41.3 million pounds of materials.

Several members of the learning community attended the Climate Crisis Action Day in Washington DC on March 20th. They were among thousands of citizens who gathered to listen to speeches on the effects of global warming and on efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Additionally, members met with legislators to voice their concerns regarding these vitally important issues.

 

Plans for 2007-8:

• Read and discuss Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder, by Richard Louv.
• Participate and encourage participation in the Sept. 20 Carroll lecture events on Green Architecture.
• Host Allan Tweddle, one of Al Gore’s Certified Climate Change Messengers, who will give a presentation on the science of global warming.
• Establish campus-wide energy conservation and recycling programs.
• Introduce ideas of environmental and social responsibilities through the integration of service learning projects in appropriate course curricula.
• Pilot a Global Warming course for the Honors program in spring of 2008.
• Pursue a grant opportunity through the Environmental Research and Education Foundation to minimize waste, encourage the sustainability of resources, and expand environmental awareness through education in the Fairmont community.
• Work with administrators to encourage the use of green technologies in new and existing buildings.
• Help publicize Nov. 27, 2007 showing of An Inconvenient Truth (6 pm, MMA), sponsored by the Young Democrats and Student Government.

Student participants: Jenna Facemire, Dominick Pellegrin, Kevin Smith, Alyssa Wilson, and Stephanie Zorio

Faculty/Staff participants: Mit Abbott, Robert Baker, Mary Bennett, Ellen Condron, Kathleen Conner, Barbara Fallon, Karen Grubb, Erica Harvey, Debra Hemler, Amy Hughes, Laurie Johnston, Patricia Kahn, Nancy McClure, Kirk Morphew, Kim Murphy, Donna Nuzum, Nathaniel Sams, Rhonda Sanford, Richard Southall, and Donald Trisel, Phil Yeager