News & Events

UNC Asheville Celebrates Greenfest

April 2, 2010

UNC Asheville students will go green in celebration of UNC Asheville's semi-annual Greenfest April 9-11. Since its beginning in 1991, Greenfest participants have added more than 500 trees, 14 trails and hundreds of plants to the UNC Asheville campus and the Asheville Botanical Gardens. A series of campuswide projects will bring students, faculty and staff together to take part in a variety of campus environmental projects such as creating a pollinator garden and exotic invasive species removal.

Several events, including an address by environmental activist Kirkpatrick Sale, are free and open to the public. These events will be held on Friday, April 9, on the UNC Asheville Quad, unless otherwise indicated. Rain location is Laurel Forum, Karpen Hall. The April 9 public events include:

• Following opening remarks by student organizations, a transportation panel will be held at 1:30 p.m. and will focus on the steps the university and the City of Asheville are taking towards sustainable transportation practices. Speakers include Chris Miller, UNC Asheville environmental health and safety officer; Yuri Koslen, City transit project coordinator; and Kathy Molin, City transportation demand management coordinator.

• At 2:30 p.m., Appalachian State University professor Joe Rinehart will present a discussion on wind energy in Western North Carolina. Rinehart will focus on the proposed state ban on wind energy.

• A panel on "Interfaith Responses to Climate Change" will take place at 3:30 p.m. Speakers include Rabbi Rob Cabelli of the Temple Beth Israel, Casey Berger of North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light and Rebecca Levy of UNC Asheville Hillel.

• An eco-feminism panel will be held at 4:30 p.m. Speakers include Tracy Rizzo, UNC Asheville professor of history; Melissa Burchard, UNC Asheville associate professor of philosophy; and Grace Campbell, UNC Asheville humanities lecturer.

• Local folk music duo Sweet Water Revolver will perform at 5:30 p.m.

• Renowned environmental author and activist Kirkpatrick Sale will give a talk on "Bioregionalism: Your Home as Your Country" at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union, Alumni Hall. He will discuss the benefits of communities living within the constraints of their natural surroundings, and the importance of political and economic localization.

Greenfest is co-sponsored by UNC Asheville's Student Government Association, Student Environmental Center, Active Students for a Healthy Environment, Hillel and Campus Facilities.

For more information, call the UNC Asheville Student Government Association office at 828/251-6685.