For Immediate Release: April 15, 2008

BLOOMSBURG — Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Earth Day with musical performances, panels featuring BU alumni who are working in “green” industries and information on environmental issues. Events are scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scranton Commons amphitheater. All events are open to the public, free of charge.

Two panels of BU alumni, faculty and community members will speak at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Alumni scheduled to speak include Gil Longwell ’70, executive director of the Pennsylvania Septic Management Association, who co-chaired the first Earth Day events at BU; Dave Crowl ’76, president of Kenneth Crowl Inc. and member of the International Masonry Institute; Robert Davidson ’90, special assistant to the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; and Charles Fritz ’94, environmental services administrator for the town of Bloomsburg.

Other panelists include Amelia Gelnett, a senior art studio major from Middleburg, who plans to work for AmeriCorps as an environmental educator after she graduates in May and Jeffrey Brunskill, assistant professor of Envionmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences, who will discuss careers related to Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Hannah Bingman, a contemporary folk singer-songwriter, will give a performance at noon. Nathaniel Greene, associate professor of physics and engineering technology, will discuss BU’s new biofuel bus at 1 p.m. Tables will be set up with information on environmental issues, including overconsumption, recycling, organic and local food, energy savings on campus and voting. There will also be free food and giveaways, including reusable water bottles. Participants are asked to bring a recyclable item with them to receive a water bottle.

If inclement weather is forecast, all Earth Day events will be held in Centennial Hall, room 218, and the alumni panels will be compressed into one discussion at 9:30 a.m.

As part of Earth Day, biologist Roberta “Robbie” Soltz, wife of BU President David Soltz, will speak on Monday, April 21, at 7 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom. Soltz’s presentation will focus on consequences of desertification in China.
Earth Day events are sponsored by Campus Green Initiative, a campus organization designed to increase awareness and encourage action about environmental issues among the campus community.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.