Celebrate Earth Week at WVU Parkersburg April 17 - 18 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Parkersburg, W.Va. 4/12/12 – Discover ways to help the environment and support sustainability efforts at West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Earth Week 2012 event. The two-day program with the theme “Respect Your Mother” takes place April 17 and 18 and includes special speakers, informational booths, a film festival, children’s activities and recycling opportunities. On Wednesday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in WVU Parkersburg’s multi-purpose room, guests can view film screenings and gather information on a variety of issues. Parkersburg recycling coordinator Dawn Weidner will make a presentation at 10:30 a.m. Information booths will include Parkersburg Recycling, Hillbilly Engineering, the West Virginia Department of Forestry, The United Nations Year of Sustainable Energy for All, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department. Hillbilly Engineering will be accepting items for reuse/repurposing/recycling in the Activities Center parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Small appliances, electronics, tools, shelves, cabinets, wiring, and assorted non-trash items are all welcome. Large items like sofas and refrigerators cannot be accepted at the event. Speakers series events will take place at 7 p.m. in WVU Parkersburg’s college theatre, room 1305. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, April 17 – Dr. Charles "Chip" Pickering of Pickering and Associates and project architect Traci Stotts will present “Building the First LEED Home in West Virginia.” Completed in August 2011, the LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certified home was built in Williamstown, W.Va. and uses 43 percent of the energy that an average home of its size would consume. A native of Williamstown, Pickering graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics. He holds a master’s in engineering management from Marshall University and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Ohio University. In addition to the Williamstown home, Stotts has recently completed a new LEED-certified building for Washington Electric Cooperative in Marietta, Oh. Wednesday, April 18 – Marietta College energy systems professor Andrew Grimm will present his thoughts on "The Climate for Renewable Energy." Before joining Marietta College, Grimm and his wife Kate developed Grimm's Green Acres, a modern commercial apple orchard in Ohio. He taught at WVU Parkersburg for 15 years, primarily in the calculus-based engineering transfer program as well as many technology training courses. "Our college has made conscientious strides toward becoming greener and focusing on ways to use sustainable energy," said WVU Parkersburg president Marie Foster Gnage. "It is important to educate our students and the greater community on ways we can all do more to help the environment." This project is sponsored by WVU Parkersburg’s Psi Beta Psychology Club, Year of Sustainable Energy Task Force and the Humanities Speakers Series. For additional information, contact: Katie Wootton WVU Parkersburg Director of Marketing and Communications 304-424-8203 E-mail Recent Releases News Archive