| Kermit the frog said, “It isn’t easy being green.” But,
on June 11, Berea College will show the community that being “green” (ecologically
speaking) can be easier than one may think. To mark the “official” beginning
of construction of Berea College’s EcoVillage, the school
will host a combination block party/ ice cream social for residents
of the neighborhood where the new village will be located and
for other interested people. The event, scheduled for Tuesday,
June 11, 2002, will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the EcoVillage
construction site on Jefferson Street in Berea, adjacent to
the City Memorial Park.
Instead of a traditional “groundbreaking” ceremony
turning over shovels of dirt, College representatives will
plant a pecan tree in the Food Forest that will be a part of
the EcoVillage. From 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. the College will have
exhibits and displays set up to explain the components of the
EcoVillage and the ecological design elements that will be
used in its construction. Because the EcoVillage will be a
place for student families and children, there will also be
activities such as bubble blowing and live music performed
by Berea College and regional musicians.
Ice cream cones and other refreshments will be provided. At
5:30, a brief ceremony will take place, including remarks by
Berea College President Larry D. Shinn and by other College
representative from the three programs involved in the EcoVillage
project --- The Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program
(SENS), the Family Student Housing, and the Child Development
Lab. Following the remarks and the tree-planting ceremony,
refreshments, activities, exhibits, and displays will continue
until 7:00 p.m.
When completed, the Berea College EcoVillage will provide
students and their families with lessons on the interaction
of humans and nature. The EcoVillage will include additional
student family housing, a Sustainability and Environmental
Studies House and a Child Development Lab, all of which will
have significant ecological features imbedded in their designs.
The EcoVillage will not only meet the needs of the residents
who live there, but will provide services and educational opportunities
to the community and visitors as well.
Berea College welcomes people to come see the site of this
exciting new eco-friendly addition to the neighborhood; to
view exhibits and displays; to hear remarks about the EcoVillage;
to observe the tree-planting ceremony; to socialize with friends
and neighbors; to listen to music; to have fun blowing bubbles;
and to enjoy ice cream and other refreshments.
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