USD goes green for Earth Day with week of activities

April 22 is Earth Day, and USD, along with campuses around the country, will be going green with a week full of activities dedicated to helping the planet.

USD’s sustainability program and Greening Vermillion, a community sustainability organization, have devoted April 17 through the 23 to celebrating and protecting the planet.

“There is a broad understanding that humans are having dramatic, and largely negative, impacts on our environment, and it is easy to feel powerless when faced with such large and complex problems,” said Meghann Jarchow, assistant professor of sustainability at USD, president of the Greening Vermillion board and the event’s overall coordinator. “Through Earth Days we hope to empower the Vermillion population to be positive agents of change for our environment.”

The week will kick off with the Creation Care program Sunday, which encourages local churches to focus on Earth stewardship.

On Monday, guest speaker Jonathan Lundgren, a researcher with the USDDA Agricultural Research Service, will be presenting at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Lundgren will be discussing bees, pesticide risks and how biodiversity relates to pest problems.

Other events throughout the week include the documentary “This Changes Everything,” and an Earth Day fair.