West Chester: Sidewalk Chalk, Museum Exhibit & More Earth Week At West Chester

Press release from West Chester University:

April 19, 2021

The chalking event is part of an Earth Day Art Stroll and Digital Art Festival that
is being organized by members of the West Chester Green Team and students in a class
taught by Megan Schraedley, assistant professor of communications and media.

West Chester Borough Mayor Jordan Norley, who declared April 2021 as Earth Month in
the borough, will turn out on Thursday to help Schraedley and her students as they
create environmentally themed messages and sidewalk art in chalk along High Street
throughout the borough. He and his children will be at Philips Memorial Building (High
Street at University Avenue) on Thursday, April 22, at 11 a.m. to join campus members.
Chalking takes place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at various borough locations.

Organized primarily by the University’s Office of Sustainability, these Earth Week
events are free and open to the public. Visit the Office of Sustainability’s website to conveniently register for one or more
of these programs. A complete schedule appears at the end of this article.

Two professors are opening their classes this week for special environmental programs.

On Tuesday, April 20, Paul Morgan, professor of educational foundations and policy
studies, will host a virtual tour of the Toucan Rescue Ranch located in Costa Rica , from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

On Thursday, April 22, Ashlie Delshad, associate professor of political science, hosts
Environmental Policy Making in Pennsylvania with State Representative Dianne Herrin from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Join the Zoom conversation.

Rep. Herrin, former West Chester Borough mayor, will also speak at the Plastic-Free Chester County Panel Discussion on Wednesday, April 21, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This program is coordinated by WCU’s Office of Sustainability, the
West Chester Green Team, and members of the Chester County Environment Alliance.

Plastic-Free Chester County Panel Discussion

The long-anticipated opening of the Earth Day at 50: Lessons for a Sustainable Future exhibit in the WCU Museum of Anthropology
and Archaeology is finally here! For Earth Week 2021, small, pre-arranged, Covid-safe tours will
be offered on Thursday, April 22, during the day. To reserve a spot, call 610-436-2247
or email museum@wcupa.edu. A virtual tour will also open on April 22.

Originally scheduled to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in April 2020,
the exhibit was postponed due to the pandemic.

The exhibition’s centerpiece is a towering, two-story Tree of Life crafted from reclaimed
and reused materials including 1,970 plastic bag “leaves.” That number represents
the year of the first Earth Day celebration. Theatre students created the tree from
reclaimed and reused materials and several participated in the installation of the
tree’s trunk last November.

Other features are dioramas utilizing taxidermy specimens from the Delaware Museum
of Natural History; an intriguing “anti-Cabinet of Curiosities” where visitors can
glimpse products made from protected wildlife confiscated by U.S. Customs; an interactive
carbon footprint calculator designed by students; artifacts from the original Earth
Day; and artwork from acclaimed Native American artist-activists Jaida Grey Eagle,
Christi Belcourt, and Isaac Murdoch.

Exploring past and present environmental activism, the reality of the current global
climate crisis, and sustainable practices for a livable future, the exhibit demonstrates
that Earth Day is an empowering reminder that positive actions in daily life can combat
the ongoing environmental crisis that humans have created. There is additional information about the exhibit on the museum website.

Designed by 15 undergraduate and graduate museum studies students under museum director
Michael A. Di Giovine, associate professor of anthropology, the exhibition is supported
by the College of the Sciences and Mathematics, the Office of Sustainability, the
Institute on Race and Ethnic Studies, the West Chester Green Team/Sierra Club, and
many community members.

There are still seats available in the third online Brandywine Project Sustainability
Workshop on Friday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. While this workshop will focus
on the role of staff members in supporting the University’s sustainability commitments,
it’s appropriate for WCU faculty and students as well.

Beginning at 11 a.m., the focus will turn to the launch of the Green Office Program.
Participants can tune in for that segment or the entire workshop.

For more information, contact Amy Maxcy in the Office of Sustainability: amaxcy@wcupa.edu or 610-436-2736.

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Guests at in-person
events are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Visit the Office of Sustainability’s website to conveniently register for one or more
of these programs.

WCU’s Twardowski Career Development Center: Careers in Sustainability (virtual drop-in
event). 1 to 3 p.m. Students only.

Toucan Rescue Ranch Virtual Tour . 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Brandywine Project Sustainability Workshop. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Contact Amy Maxcy: amaxcy@wcupa.edu or 610-436-2736.

This press release was produced by West Chester University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.