2010 Food and Farming Week activities include planting the last spring crops in the campus garden, pictured above.

Student and faculty organizers have organized a number of events focused on producing and eating local food.

Gardening and the community – Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Come hear Tom Benevento and Soula Pefkaros of the local New Community Project talk about personal and public scale gardening and the impact on the global community. Simply in Season cookbooks will be given away as door prizes. Location: University Commons 211-212 (off the fitness center track)

*Also Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Harrisonburg city council will be meeting to approve the proposed campus solar project, the largest in the commonwealth. Come lend your support at the meeting, held at 345 South Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg.

Basics of breadmaking – Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Come make your own bread with the help of faculty member Tara Kishbaugh. Bring a bowl or bread pan if possible – everything else is provided. Location: second floor lounge of the Cedarwood residence hall

Campus compost project – Thursday at noon

Maybe you’ve heard of the chickens on campus, but have you ever seen them? They play an important role in the university compost project. Learn more about the compost project. Location: Behind Suter Science Center

Campus garden planting – Friday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Produce from the campus garden is used by the dining hall throughout the summer and for the campus community’s annual harvest meal in the fall.

The student-run campus garden, begun in 2008, provides campus with local produce. Come out and help members of the Sustainable Food Initiative plant the last spring crops. Location: main campus garden (southwest corner of Mt. Clinton and College Ave)

About Earthkeepers

Earthkeepers’ mission is to act in and around the EMU community to encourage, simplify, and implement environmentally friendly practices such as recycling, composting, reducing waste, and monitoring water quality in the Harrisonburg area.

Earthkeepers club members also participate in many other events and activities throughout the year, such as hiking trips, field trips, and organizing guest speakers.

Campus partners of the club include:

• Peace Fellowship
• bike club

For more information on the event or the student club, contact the student life office at (540) 432-4135.

]]> /now/news/2010/seminary-class-focuses-on-being-green/ Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0000 http://www.emu.edu/blog/news/?p=2119

Wednesday is the sixth annual Campus Sustainability Day, sponsored by the . Top agriculturalist John Jeavons will speak at the Suter Science Seminar later in the day at 6:30 p.m.

EMU students got a trial run at going “trayless” at a recent ‘harvest meal” in the dining hall. Photo by Lindsey Roeschley

“This is not new,” says Pioneer Catering director Bruce Emmerson. “It’s a trend that has been happening across the country for years. EMU students have begun asking for this change, and I feel it’s time for us to join the trend.”

Eliminating the use of trays in the dining hall will save approximately 280,000 gallons of hot water a year, significant amounts of soap, hours of staff time and food scraps.

Read the student newspaper’s take on the trayless decision.

“‘Trayless’ means diners will think about the food and drinks they take, rather than mindlessly filling up their tray,” said Emma Stahl-Wert, coordinator for the campus environmental group, Earthkeepers.

Stahl-Wert, a sophomore applied sociology major with emphasis in environmental science, has documented food waste in EMU’s dining hall together with Laura Catell, a senior double major in environmental studies and justice, peace and conflict studies.

“People have definitely grown more aware of food waste since they’ve seen us measuring what gets scraped off of trays and plates,” says Catell. “This next step will result in even less waste, we believe.”

EMU students enjoy the ‘harvest meal” featuring locally-grown fare. Photo by Lindsey Roeschley

Undoubtedly, some will miss the convenience of trays, Emmerson admits. “People will get used to it,” he says, noting that he has never once used a tray since beginning his work at EMU in July 2006. “It feels more like home if you don’t use a tray.”

Trays will be available on request for those who may need one for reasons related to disability, or for visiting families with young children. “We do want to offer a hospitable environment,” Emmerson concludes. “I predict the trayless dining hall will feel like a regular part of our EMU culture in a short time.”

The removal of trays from the dining hall is a small addition to campus-wide sustainability efforts at EMU. A video featuring the campus composting class and garden project can be seen at www.emu.edu/begreen.

Animated orator Tony Campolo speaks without notes in engaging his audience. Photo by Jim Bishop

At age 72, Tony Campolo remains passionate about two things – that people experience a vital relationship with Jesus Christ and that they combine evangelistic zeal with concern for social justice.

Dr. Campolo, professor emeritus at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pa., and outspoken advocate for the poor and disenfranchised, issued strong calls to a deeper level of spirituality and care for creation in addresses at EMU Thursday evening, Oct. 18 and Friday morning, Oct. 19.

Campolo asked his audiences: "When was the last time you were simply still, quiet, totally surrendering to God’s presence?"

He said that he begins every day by "centering on Jesus," by desiring "an invasion of the Holy Spirit" to drive and to direct his actions.

"We pray, ‘Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven,’" Campolo noted. "Our mission in life is to live out the will of God, working to change the world from what is into what God intended His creation to be.

"That’s why we have places like EMU that integrate faith and knowledge with a strong spirituality and commitment to peace and justice," he said.

Focus on Creation Care

Campolo focused his chapel message on "caring for God’s creation," noting that "it is only as we become willing to change our lifestyles, to live simply that others may simply live, that we begin to move beyond just a lot of talk to actions that will make a difference in the world.

"Working for social justice can easily become a new form of legalism," Campolo warned. "How we approach the task makes all the difference.

"The power of the Spirit must be the driving force that transports you from something you ought to do, often motivated by guilt, to something you want to do because you view people differently – you see Jesus staring back at you," the speaker said.

"Are we living like Jesus wants us to live?" Campolo asked. "The more we surrender to the Holy Spirit, the more that same mind will be in you that is in Christ," Campolo said. "Let your hearts be broken by the things that break the heart of God."

Read more about EMU’s efforts to be green…

Campolo is founder and president of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), where he works to create, nurture and support programs for "at-risk" children in cities across North America and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries. He is author of 34 books, his most recent "The God of Intimacy and Action."

His visit was sponsored by Compassion International and the campus ministries office at EMU. Campolo’s chapel session was part of a year-long series on sustainability. Click here to see upcoming "sustainability" chapels on the schedule…

A year ago, EMU custodial services began testing new hydrogen peroxide-based cleansers, which break down into oxygen and water, but are aggressive enough to deal with problem areas of soap scum and mineral build-up. “At various dilutions, it can be used for everything from windows to restrooms to carpets,” says Evie King ’74, custodial services supervisor since 1991.

So far, custodial staff and building users have reacted favorably to the products. “The cost is quite reasonable, and since the new product will replace about eight other products, I anticipate having less budget tied up in inventory,” King concludes.

Matt Frei, chief Washington, D.C., correspondent for the BBC, interviewed President Loren Swartzendruber on creation care from an Anabaptist perspective for a BBC production about Christian response to global warming; the program will be aired internationally later this month.

It’s a hot topic generating heated debate.

EMU President Loren Swartzendruber added to the conversation with a message on global warming and the care of God’s creation, Friday morning, Apr. 13.

, which followed the regular chapel service in Lehman Auditorium, were recorded by Matt Frei, chief Washington, D.C., correspondent for the London-based British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The event opened with the singing of an a cappella hymn, “God of the Fertile Fields” (Brethren-Mennonite Hymnal #360).

Swartzendruber believes the BBC contacted him because he was among 86 Christian leaders who signed a statement concerning this issue.

“Some Christian leaders have made public statements suggesting global warming is not a reality or is a hoax/conspiracy and the BBC wants to compare responses of various Christian leaders/groups,” the president said.

‘a Theological Issue’

“I believe this is a scientific and theological/moral issue,” the president said. “We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation, and we are invited to make every effort to reduce the impact of our lifestyle choices on this phenomenon for the sake of the entire world and our future children/grandchildren.

“The projections from many leading scientists are currently quite dire, particularly for the poorest populations in the world,” Swartzendruber said.

“A report from the (IPCC) says, with at least 90 percent certainty, that global warning is man-made and will ‘continue for centuries’ – unless we take actions to slow or reverse the trend.”

“What have we lost if we make changes now for a cleaner environment, even if we should ultimately learn that the projections have been made in error?” the president stated. “If we ignore some very obvious signs, however, or avoid the tough issues, and we are wrong in that direction, millions of us and our descendants will suffer awful consequences.

Excerpts from Swartzendruber’s address and an interview will be broadcast as part of a BBC news report on global warming later this month on the BBC television and radio network to an audience estimated in the millions.

The complete text of the president’s message is available at .

You may also read more about .

President Swartzendruber is available for further interviews on this topic. Contact EMU marketing and communications:

Andrea Wenger, director
Phone: 540-432-4348
Cell: 540-560-2237

Jim Bishop, public information officer
Phone: 540-432-4211