WJU hosts national event on climate change, environmental sustainability
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Maureen Zambito Jill Kriesky, Executive Director of the Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University looks over the list of environmental speakers for this weekend's Ignation Solidarity Spring Teach-in. |
March 4, 2010 ·
Educators, students and environmental advocates from across the country will be gathering at Wheeling Jesuit University this weekend for the Ignatian Solidarity Network Spring Teach-in.
The conference will focus on efforts to solve environmental issues on a local level.
The theme of this year’s social justice conference is climate change and improving local communities. The event will draw educators and experts from a variety of fields including climate change, mountaintop removal mining and energy.
“There will be about 230 people on campus from Jesuit colleges and universities, high schools, parishes and retreat centers from across the country. The focus is looking at the environment in relation to Ignatian principles and how we should be better stewards of our environment,” said Dr. Jill Kriesky, executive director of the Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University.
Wheeling Jesuit’s Appalachian Institute was established in 2002 to research and analyze challenges and opportunities in Appalachia. Itsgoal is to help provide safer, healthier and stronger communities. Kriesky said this is the first time the Ignatian Solidarity Network Teach-in has been held in West Virginia.
“We encouraged them to come to West Virginia because we believe we have this whole range of environmental issues to look at.”
Kriesky said the three day conference will include “action workshops”, where participants will visit areas in the Northern Panhandle that are involved in green projects, including the organic gardens at the Hare Krishna community in Marshall County and the Rails to Trails program in Wheeling.
“I think one of the things the Ignatian Solidarity Conference tries to do is give the participants in communities ideas on what they can do back home and for those that live in communities where Rails for Trails kind of programs are just getting started. This is a wonderful example of what it can turn into and what they can do to help so who knows maybe working on the trail will have an impact in Santa Clara, California or New York or some other place,” said Kriesky.
The event starts Friday and runs through Sunday.
More information on the environmental conference at Wheeling Jesuit University is available at wju.edu .