Celebrate the Earth
Grinnell College will host a series of events throughout April and early May in celebration of Earth Month. The free, public events will be focused on local food, creativity, volunteering, and exploration.
The events will take place throughout the campus and city, with a focus toward "getting rooted in the community." Featured events include Fred Magdoff’s lecture “Capitalism and Agriculture” on April 11, the National Water Dance on April 16, and the Eco Fair on April 23.
Some events will take place off-campus at Arbor Lake Park and the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA), including a lake cleanup and woodland wildflower hike. Free transportation is provided from Grinnell's campus to these events. RSVP to Elizabeth Hill for transportation.
Calendar of Events
Local Food
Monday, April 11
Fred Magdoff
4 p.m. Noyce 1022 (Roundtable)
7:30 p.m. Joe Rosenfield ‘25 Center, Room 101 (Public Talk)
Fred Magdoff, Professor Emeritus of Soils at the University of Vermont, will give a roundtable on “Soil and Soil Health” and a public talk on “Capitalism and Agriculture.”
Saturday, April 16
Spring Fest
Noon-4 p.m. Ecohouse
Join Ecohouse members for a celebration of spring, local foods, music, and community. Explore Ecohouse’s environmental projects and take part in seed planting. Enjoy live music from student performers, springtime crafting, and more!
Wednesday, April 20
Richard Oppenlander
7:15 p.m. ARH Auditorium, Room 302
Consultant and researcher Richard Oppenlander, author of Food Choice and Sustainability, will guide the audience through a fact-filled journey of the food choice-animal agriculture-environment connection, revealing why humanity is currently on a path of pseudo-sustainability.
Friday, April 29
Food For Thought May Day Celebration
5-8:30 p.m. Cleveland Beach
Join members of Grinnell College’s Food For Thought group to celebrate early May Day. Bring a dish to the potluck and enjoy face-painting, music, and a discussion about campus food activism. Come and find out what Food For Thought is doing to increase the amount of “real food“ on campus!
Creativity
Saturday, April 16
National Water Dance
3 p.m. CERA
Join campus and community dancers and musicians in celebrating the importance of water in our lives.
Email Jan Graham to reserve transportation. Van leaves the Rosenfield Center drop-off zone at 2:15 p.m., and Mayflower Community at 2:25 p.m.. If driving on your own, meet at CERA’s Environmental Education Center at 2:50 p.m.
Monday, April 18
Site-Specific Studio Critique
1–4 p.m. CERA
Join Professor Lee Emma Running and her Site Specific Studio class for the critique of their place-based art installations at CERA. Student art installations explore how we connect to the Iowa landscape.
Email Elizabeth Hill to reserve transportation
Wednesday, April 20
Ecohouse Movie Night
9 p.m. Bob’s Underground Café
Join Ecohouse members to watch The Secret Life of Plants, a 1979 documentary based on the book of the same name. The film features time-lapse photography of plants and fungi growing and an original score by musician Stevie Wonder.
Friday, April 22
20 Minutes @ 11: Culling the Herd
11 a.m. Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Faulconer Gallery/Room 131
Explore our human relationship to white-tailed deer with Professor Lee Emma Running, who will present her recent project “Cure” in which she carves and gilds the bones of roadkill, and CERA Manager Elizabeth Hill, who will provide background on deer management in Iowa.
Learn
April 12 and 14
Undergraduate Research Symposium
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Rosenfield Center, various locations
Undergraduate research panel and poster presentations include many student talks on local and global environmental and food justice topics. Arrive at 11 a.m. to grab a free lunch and full presentation schedule.
Panel presentations in Rosenfield Center, Rooms 202, 203, 209, 225-227
Poster session in Rosenfield Center, Room 101
Tuesday, April 19
Fracture: Essays Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America
7:30 p.m. Rosenfield Center, Room 101
Join Taylor Brorby (ed.) and Iowa-based writers and thinkers Debra Marquart, Carolyn Raffensperger, and Frederick Kirschenmann for a book reading and question and answer session on the impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Saturday, April 23
The Power is Ours!, Spiritual Reflections on Earth Day
12:30 p.m. Grinnell United Church of Christ
Join UCC members in welcoming Grinnell College faculty Liz Queathem and David Campbell, together with Associate Chaplain and Rabbi Rob Cabelli, who explore spiritual connections to Earth Day and climate change.
Thursday, April 28
Ecofeminist Organizing Workshop
4-5:30 p.m. ARH 102
Learn about inclusive organizing with two extraordinary activists! Join Bakken Resistance Pipeline Coalition co-founders and Women Food and Agriculture Network board members Ahna Kruzic and Dr. Angie Carter for a workshop on ecofeminist activism and organizing.
Explore
Saturday, April 23
Eco Fair
11 a.m.–1 p.m. Rosenfield Center, 1st floor and outdoor patio
SEC and Off-the-Grid students will present posters and demonstrations on topics pertaining to sustainable and off-the-grid living, including the tiny home movement, water sanitation and heating, backcountry camping tips, permaculture, urban gardening, and composting toilets.
Sunday, April 24
Arbor Lake Cleanup
2 p.m. Arbor Lake Park, 123 Pearl Street
Join IOWATER club in removing waste and beautifying Arbor Lake Park. Be prepared to get dirty, please wear rain boots and old clothes.
Email IOWATER to register.
Meet at GORP room in Harris Center or at Arbor Lake Park.
Tuesday, April 26
Woodland Wildflower Hike
4:15-6:15 p.m. CERA
Join CERA Manager Elizabeth Hill on a 1.5 mile spring ephemeral wildflower hike at CERA.
Wear sturdy walking shoes. Hike starts 4:45 p.m. at CERA.
Van leaves from Rosenfield Center drop-off zone at 4:15 p.m. Email Elizabeth Hill to reserve transportation
Saturday, May 7
Tallgrass Audubon Bird Banding
8 a.m.-noon Bob and Connie VanErsvelde’s house
Join members of the Tallgrass Audubon Society to learn about bird banding and the natural history of migratory birds. Families welcome!
Van leaves from Rosenfield Center drop-off zone
Email Elizabeth Hill for transportation or address
Event Sponsors
Center for Prairie Studies, CERA, Environmental Studies, Faulconer Gallery, Peace and Conflict Studies, Food for Thought, Iowater, Student Environmental Committee, Ecohouse, Poweshiek County SWCD, Advancing Animal Compassion Together, Student Government Association.