Earth Day celebration to be held at VGCC on April 23
Vance-Granville Community College will hold its seventh annual Earth Day festival on Monday, April 23 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The public is invited. The event has been organized to educate the college and community about conservation and the natural world in a fun, informative setting. Activities will take place outside around the Gazebo and courtyard areas, and will move into the VGCC Civic Center in the event of rain. VGCC students, staff and faculty will provide live music, art, information and demonstrations related to subjects such as environmental science, alternative energy, sustainable agriculture, organic food, green construction and wildlife. Special guests participating in the event are scheduled to include American Wildlife Refuge of Rolesville, local N.C. Cooperative Extension agencies, bee-keeper Jimmy Chalmers of Oxford, the Granville County Greenway Plan Committee, the North Carolina Herpetological Society, the Granville County-based Biofuels Center of North Carolina and Novozymes of Franklinton. Carl J. Cantaluppi of N.C. Cooperative Extension (for Granville and Person counties) will make presentations entitled “Horticulture for Food, Fun, and Profit.”
A new feature added to the Earth Day festival for the first time is a Fun Run/Walk, promoting healthy exercise. A 5K (approximately 3.1 miles) Fun Run/Walk is tentatively scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and a shorter one-mile run/walk is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Those who complete the Fun Run/Walk will get fresh fruit and water at the finish line and learn about composting and recycling. For more information about either participating in or volunteering to help with the Fun Run/Walk, call VGCC Health/P.E. instructor Pam DeZurik at (252) 738-3231.
Earth Day will also be observed that same day at VGCC’s South Campus, located between Creedmoor and Butner. First, the campus will host a residential electronics recycling event for the community conducted by Metech Recycling, a national e-waste recycling company with a site in Creedmoor. Metech will accept almost all electronic devices for recycling except major appliances. For a complete listing, visit their web site at http://www.metechrecycling.com/
Meanwhile, students in English classes on campus will create posters depicting some aspect of the environmental concerns related to Earth Day. Posters from the contest will be displayed in the new lobby on April 23 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and prizes will be awarded to the winners. Additional displays will include a collection of books related to environmental concerns provided by South Campus librarian Jennie Davis; recycling information from Teresa Baker, Recycling Coordinator for Granville County Schools; the Granville Greenways project; and Endangered Species. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact VGCC science instructor Dr. Dan Settles at (252) 738-3449.
Above: Solar panels built by VGCC students are among the “green” technologies on display at the college’s Earth Day festival, as seen in this photo from the event in 2011. (VGCC photo)
