April 3, 2008

(Columbia, MD) – For the second year, Howard Community College (HCC) hosts a week-long series of events April 21 – 25, 2008 to celebrate Earth Day, which takes place on Tuesday, April 22.

The week’s events kick off on Monday, April 21 from noon to 2 p.m. with “Consume Less; Live More,” a program targeted to increase awareness about the risks over-consumption poses to both the environment and financial stability.  The Baltimore Free Store will hold a mini-market in addition to other educational activities.

On Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, an Earth Day Celebration will be held in the Duncan Hall lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Over a dozen Earth-friendly vendors will be present, including environmental organizations, local organic stores, and organic farms.  Event attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a water taste-off, plant flowers, and recycle plastic grocery bags to receive a reusable shopping bag, courtesy of the HCC Environmental Club.  Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental film, “11^th Hour,” will also be shown at 12:30 p.m. in the Kittleman Room (ELB-100), and again at 6:00 p.m. in the Burrill Galleria.  Other environmentally-themed films will be shown in the Kittleman Room beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The HCC Environmental Club will demonstrate the impact of trash on HCC’s campus on Thursday, April 24 with a Dumpster Dive on the HCC Quad.  A day’s worth of campus trash will be on display, along with information about how to reduce waste.  On Friday, April 25, the HCC Environmental Club will work to beautify the campus by planting flowers native to the area.

HCC’s Earth Week is sponsored by the HCC Environmental Club, Division of Science and Technology, and Office of Student Life.  All events are free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Tracie Palm in the Office of Student Life at 410-772-4896 or tpalm@howardcc.edu.

The event is cosponsored by Howard Bank.  HCC is located at 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, Maryland 21044.