University of Denver students, faculty and staff will celebrate sustainability with the second annual Earth Day Summit April 22, featuring speakers who will share secrets of incorporating ecological practices into everyday work and play.
The lineup of speakers and panelists include a rock star, a restaurateur, an artist, former student activists and a three-term Colorado governor.
“The summit is important because a lot of students on campus come from areas where people don’t really talk about sustainability or incorporate it in their lives,” says summit co-founder Megan Marshall. “There are still many places in Colorado where they don’t even recycle. This is a good way for students to talk and learn about sustainability in calm, open dialogue, and they can learn about the things they can do in everyday life that make a difference.”
The entire event, Marshall says, is designed to be carbon neutral and zero waste. All food and leftover materials will be composted or recycled.
The day’s opening speaker is Stu Galvis, the chief visionary for the Galvis Group, a Boulder-based real estate group that focuses on sustainable real estate. He is also a speaker with the Climate Project, a nonprofit created by Al Gore after An Inconvenient Truth that stresses what people can do to make a difference.
Other events include break-out sessions with John Fielder, a nationally-known photographer, publisher, teacher, and preservationist; Adrian Molina, a hip-hop artist, poet, youth advocate and community activist who focuses on issues of social and environmental justice. Also, Energy Engineer Tom McGee, Arboretum Director Martin Quigley and Professor and former Gov. Richard Lamm — all of DU — will speak.
A student panel will feature former and current student activists who have taken on projects around campus and instituted lasting change.
The keynote panel includes Johnny 5, founder of the Flobots musical group known for its activism; Adam Schlegel, owner of Denver’s Snooze Eatery, a business striving to lead “green” business initiatives by example; Matt Futch, utilities program senior associate for the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office; and Shannon Spurlock, community initiatives coordinator for Denver Urban Gardens.
The event, scheduled for 10 a.m.–3 p.m. April 22 at DU’s Fritz Knobel School of Hospitality Management, is free and open to public. Attendees will receive a free organic, locally-sourced breakfast and lunch during the event. Register online by April 20.
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