Vance-Granville Community College will hold Earth Day festivals on Monday, April 22 from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on South Campus in Granville County. The public is invited to both events, which are free of charge and are designed to educate the college and community about conservation and the natural world in a fun, informative setting.
At Main Campus, activities will take place outside around the Gazebo and courtyard areas, and will move into the VGCC Civic Center in the event of rain. VGCC students, staff and faculty will provide art, information and demonstrations related to subjects such as environmental science, gardening, alternative energy, sustainable agriculture, organic food, green construction, recycling and wildlife. Special guests participating in the event are scheduled to include American Wildlife Refuge of Rolesville, the Vance County offices of N.C. Cooperative Extension and of the N.C. Forest Service, N.C. Parks & Recreation, bee-keeper Jimmy Chalmers of Oxford, Backyard Nursery of Oxford, and the Granville County-based Biofuels Center of North Carolina. Also, the second annual Earth Day 5K Fun Run/Walk will be held to promote both healthier living and a healthier planet. The 5K (approximately 3.1 mile) run/walk is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and allows participants to enjoy VGCC’s picturesque campus. To register, go to http://vgcc5krun.eventbrite.com.
At VGCC’s South Campus, located between Creedmoor and Butner, guests will include Metech Recycling, a national electronics recycling company with a site in Creedmoor; Debra Brogden with Creedmoor’s Farmers Market; Warren Daniel from Granville County Soil and Water Conservation; Michael McFadden representing Granville Greenways; Scott Carpenter of Granville Farms; Judith Alston discussing honey; Suzanne Edney of Apex on “extraordinary landscaping;” Laura Keith from Curves of Creedmoor; Rob Montague of the N.C. Forest Service; Robert Hendrick from Rail Yard Studios in Nashville, Tennessee; and Teresa Baker, Recycling Coordinator for Granville County Schools. Special presentations include: Bailey Newton of Triple B Farms at 10 a.m.; a representative of North Carolina American Water Works Association and the North Carolina Water Environment Association (NC AWWA-WEA) at 11:30 a.m.; Carl J. Cantaluppi of N.C. Cooperative Extension (for Granville and Person counties) on “Exploring High Value Horticulture Crops” at 1 p.m.; and the screening of a documentary film, “Vanishing of the Bees.” Meanwhile, as part of a contest, students in several South Campus classes will create posters depicting environmental concerns related to Earth Day. Posters will be displayed on Earth Day, and prizes will be awarded to the winners.
For more information on Main Campus activities, contact VGCC science instructor Dr. Dan Settles at (252) 738-3449 or settles@vgcc.edu. For more information on South Campus activities, call Geraldine Cash at (919) 528-4737, ext. 3506 or cash@vgcc.edu.