Emerging Programs (State-Operated)
Earth Stock 2007 - The Future is Now, Stony Brook University
Program Objectives
The program objectives of Earth-Stock 2007 were as follows:
- To raise awareness and provide current solutions for climate change, global warming and better understand ways we can reduce our environmental footprint
- To attract and involve in the discussion - in order to promote positive change - local, regional, and national government/business leaders and experts
- To approach the program planning and implementation collaboratively, involving a broad cross section students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members
- To approach programming in an interdisciplinary way & through various mediums including film screenings, research exhibitions, service learning, debates, panel discussions as well as traditional lectures.
- To balance serious discussion of environmental sustainability with a celebration of local and regional accomplishments already achieved
- To continue to emerge as one of the largest programs of its kind across SUNY, on Long Island, in New York State and across the country
Program Design
This year’s Earth-Stock program was enhanced and expanded in size to be become a full week’s worth of programming. Taking place from Monday, 4/16 – Friday, 4/20, Earth-Stock 2007 included a variety of programs spanning many different genres and mediums in order to educate the campus and local community on the environment and sustainability.
These programs included lectures, film screenings, a parliamentary debate, a panel discussion, an exhibition of undergraduate and graduate student environmental research and creative activity, opportunities to volunteer to enhance and beautify the campus (known as Pride Patrol) concerts and a large culminating festival on the last day of programming that week. Returning this year was Stony Brook University's Green Pledge recited throughout the week at various events that encouraged students, staff, faculty, and community members to make an enduring commitment to reduce their environmental footprint and formally commit to a lifetime of environmental awareness.
The Hon. Claudine Schneider, former congresswoman of Rhode Island and author of the first “Global Warming Prevention Act” served as keynote and special guest throughout the week.
Lastly and in tandem with Earth-Stock, Sustainable Long Island, a local non-profit environmental group, presented a symposium attended by 250 government and business leaders featuring workshops on four major areas of sustainability: Sustainable Business Practices; Sustainable Design; Sustainable Energy; and Creating Sustainable Communities: Business and Government Working Together.
Below please find a listing and brief description of all the week’s events. More information is also available at www.stonybrook.edu/earthstock.
Monday, April 16
Golden Earthworm Organic Farm
The Golden Earthworm Organic Farm is nestled on 40 acres of pristine farmland protected by a land preservation program on the North Fork of Long Island. Lead by Eastern Long Island Organic Farm owners. This program focused on the environmental significance of Organic Farming and Community Shared Agriculture.
Tuesday, April 17
Reduce Your Environmental Tire Track: Commuter Student Lunch and Learn
This program was sponsored by the Office of Commuter Student Services and the SB Environmental Club. The program was a “Lunch and Learn” event centered on Commuting and its impact on the environment, especially carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions. The importance of carpooling was emphasized
Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island
The documentary film Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island is an award-winning film that weaves a tapestry of interviews, historical photographs, and contemporary footage to tell the story of farm life in America's oldest suburban region. Sponsored by Campus Dining, this program extended the campus communities understanding of the importance of farming and its effect on the economy and environment.
Wednesday, April 18
Student Parliamentary Debate
An interactive debate, based on the famous Great Debates of Oxford University, this program was based largely on Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth. The proposition of the debate was that “An Inconvenient Truth is an Incomplete Truth.” Professor Harvey Cormier from the Department of Philosophy moderated the debate between two teams of Stony Brook Students; the “government” and the “opposition.” Audience members had an opportunity to vote on the winning team based on the strength of their arguments, rebuttals and integrity to the rules, guidelines and spirit of the debate.
Thursday, April 19
Employee Assistance Program presents Path of Peace
Take a break from the stress of modern life by going back a few thousand years. People are discovering anew that walking the concentric circles of ancient labyrinths can create inner peace and healing. EAP invites you to join Labyrinth Builder, Ed O'Connell, for a refreshing introduction to the Red Dragon Labyrinth as a walking meditation practice.
Roth Pond Nature Preserve Ceremony
Each year, Undergraduate College of Science & Society presents to its students a class gift to honor the significance of the completion of their first year of study and contributions to the university. Previous class gifts include naming a star after the inaugural class, the planting of a tree. This year, a portion of the Roth Pond, the location of our infamous Roth Pond Regatta, where students, staff and faculty race boats made out of cardboard and duct tape, was designated as a preserve. This year’s class gift symbolizes that the mark that students have made will be preserved in Stony Brook for years to come add value to the ecological footprint of Roth Quad.
Panel Discussion–“Sustainability: The Future Is Now!”
Moderated by Dean Howard Schneider of the School of Journalism and former editor of Newsday, a panel of experts, including Earthstock Keynote Speaker Claudine Schneider, and others experts drawn from industry, science, and the media discussed what urgent responses can be made to the threat of rapid climate change. A recitation of the Stony Brook Green Pledge and a pinning ceremony for graduating seniors who took the Green Pledge followed the panel discussion.
Friday, April 20
Culminating Festival
The Friday culminating festival marked the end of Earth-Stock and included over 80 for-profit vendors, non-profits exhibitors and educational/research displays (i.e., hybrid, biodiesel & electric vehicles, etc.) musical and dance entertainment on two stages (including one designated just for undergraduate, graduate and faculty/staff performances), multitalented street performers, organic food tasting, among many other celebratory and educational displays. Seven (7) Long Island High Schools created educational displays, traveling as far as over 60 miles away. Existing university traditions that have already been integrated into EarthStock (faculty/staff vs. students volleyball playoff) and new traditions (the rubber duck race down Stony “brook”– a promisingly popular new university tradition). Other activities, described below take place during and after the large festival.
Pride Patrol
An annual event that has now been fully integrated into Earth-Stock, pride patrol is a campus enhancement and beautification initiative that gives students, faculty and staff an opportunity to create and maintain green projects throughout the university, such as planting flower beds, cleaning litter, etc.
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Exhibition of Environmental Research and Creative Activity
As a way to help integrate the work of academic and student affairs as well as to demonstrate the high quality research that undergraduate students, graduates students and faculty are conducting in the area of the environment and sustainability at one of the world’s best research universities, the Exhibition of Environmental Research and Creative Activity celebrated its inaugural year this year. Approximately 15 research projects drawing from such disciplines as mechanical engineering, material sciences, chemistry, atmospheric sciences, marine sciences and studio art were displayed and explained to audience members attending the keynote lecture that night.
Keynote Lecture: “Solutions to Climate Change”
Former U.S. Congresswoman, Rhode Island 1980-1990, and author of the Global Warming Prevention Act, discussed "Solutions to Climate Change." Claudine Schneider is the original author of the Global Warming Prevention Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation co-sponsored by 100 Members of Congress. This bill established a least-cost energy planning process throughout the federal government that would reduce global greenhouse gases while reducing energy costs to taxpayers. Hon. Schneider’s discussion was described as “lively…engaging…and important” within the context of current government and business practices that would assist in decreasing our environmental footprint.
Long Island Sustainability Symposium
A separate, but concurrent event hosted by the non-profit group, Sustainable Long Island, and Co-sponsored by Stony Brook University, the symposium brought together 250 local government, business and community leaders to promote and raise awareness about promoting economic development, environmental health, and equity for all Long Islanders.
Program Effectiveness
Earth-Stock 2007 was a wonderfully successful program and the biggest and best yet. In line with our program objectives, the program was successful from the perspective of planning, collaboration, execution and reflective processing. Each of the points below speak to the objectives listed. In addition, please see program outcomes further description of program effectiveness.
To raise awareness and provide current solutions for climate change, global warming and better understand ways we can reduce our environmental footprint
Through various mediums, genres and programming strategies, Earth-Stock 2007 successfully raised awareness of helped generate solutions for environmental issues that are of greatest to concern for society. Programs both discussed and verified the current context of climate concerns, reached out and engage a broad audience internal and external to the university and provided creative and important pedagogical methods in providing solutions to global warming.
To attract and involve in the discussion - in order to promote positive change - local, regional, and national government/business leaders and experts
Attending and involved in our program series included important government and business leaders and experts drawn from within the university, Brookhaven National Laboratory, local non-profits, town, county state and national government sectors and business leaders.
To approach the program planning and implementation collaboratively, involving a broad cross section students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members
Few other programs involved such a large cross section of the university community with regard to members of the planning committee, departments providing logistical support and funding for this large, university wide initiative. Please see point #4 below for a full list and description.
To approach programming in an interdisciplinary way & through various mediums including film screenings, research exhibitions, service learning, debates, panel discussions as well as traditional lectures.
Our programs involved faculty and experts from the fields of marine sciences, ecology & evolution, journalism, studio art, oceanography, engineering, etc… Our programs were dynamic, varied, engaging and accomplished the various goals set by this objective.
To balance serious discussion of environmental sustainability with a celebration of local and regional accomplishments already achieved
To continue to emerge as one of the largest programs of its kind across SUNY, on Long Island, in New York State and across the country.
Newsday, the largest newspaper serving Long Island dubbed us the “largest program of its kind on Long Island.”