April 17, 2008
Contact: Bob Adams
(425) 564-3081
badams@bcc.ctc.edu
‘Toxic beauty, green fashions, toy-testing for toxics
are topics April 21-25
as BCC's Earth Week
shows how ‘everyday' toxins affect our health
BELLEVUE -- Watch a "green" fashion show, have your children's toys tested for toxins, learn about 'toxic beauty" and the link between environmental health and toxicology, all at Bellevue Community College's ninth annual Earth Week celebration, April 21-25.
All Earth Week events are free and open to the public and, unless otherwise noted, will take place in Building C (the student union building, located next to the fountain in the center of BCC's main campus: 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E., Bellevue, at the intersection of S.E. 28th St. and 148th Ave. S.E.).
Earth Week begins in fun style Monday with a "green" fashion show (11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.), featuring the higher-end outdoor clothing of Nau to the "upcycled" fashion of Value Village and including products made of recycled polyester, corn-based synthetic fibers (PLA), Merino wool and organic cotton, as well as reused clothing from thrift stores.
Other Monday events continue the theme of "toxic beauty" with presentations entitled "Pollution in People" (Pam Taziolli, Washington State Coordinator, Breast Cancer Fund, 9:30 a.m.), "Saving the World in Style" (Sean Schmidt, Sustainable Style Foundation, 10:30 a.m.), and "The Toxic Beauty Project" (Secret Charles, Community Outreach Consultant and Toxic Beauty Specialist, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, 1:30 p.m.).
Tuesday's events focus on waste and consumption with presentations entitled "The Economics of Toxic Waste" (Michael Righi, BCC Economics Instructor, 9:30 a.m.), "The Collapse of the Classic Maya: An Environmental Perspective" (Dr. Nancy Gonlin, BCC Anthropology Instructor, 10:30 a.m.); "Trashed! -- Waste, Cultural Studies and the Future of the Planet" (Dr. Bill Kupinse, English Professor, University of Puget Sound, 11:30 a.m.), and "Bite Me: Making Conscious Choices and Positive Change, One Bite at a Time" (Dr. Michael Hanson, BCC Botany Instructor, and Michael Meyer, BCC English Instructor, 12:30 p.m.).
On Wednesday, children from BCC's Early Learning, Family & Childcare Center will literally lead the way by holding a children's recycling parade through campus, presenting sculptures they have made from recycled materials, and planting trees (10:30 a.m.).
Community members also are invited that day to bring in toys and household items to have them tested for toxins such as lead, cadmium, bromine and chlorine, a service provided by the Washington Toxics Coalition, a leader in the campaign to eliminate household toxins (midday).
Wednesday will also feature a lecture by Timothy Egan, author of the National Book Award winner, The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, at 7 p.m. in BCC's Carlson Theatre. (Carlson Theatre is located in Building E, on the south courtyard of BCC's main campus.). Egan's presentation will be followed by a book-signing in the same location.
Other Wednesday events include the presentations, "Disabilities, the Environment and How Students Can Make a Difference Across the Globe" (Rob Rose, Bellevue Rotary Club, 9:30 a.m.), "The Environmental Cost of Toxic Chemicals In Consumer Products" (Jim Dawson, Field Coordinator, Washington Toxics Coalition, 10:30 a.m.), "Sustainable Coffee & Social Responsibility" (Jason Simpson, Manager of Coffee and Tea Education, Starbucks, 11:30 a.m., followed by coffee-tasting), "Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations" (Dave Montgomery, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, 12:30 p.m.), "Basic Solar 101" (Jeremy Smithson, Co-Founder/Owner, Puget Sound Solar, 1:30 p.m.) and a panel discussion on Environmental Leadership (2:30 p.m.).
Thursday's schedule includes the presentations, "A Toxic Chemical In Your Home and Puget Sound: Phthalate, the New Phosphate" (Heather Trimm, Urban Bays and Toxics Program Project Coordinator, People for Puget Sound, 8:30 a.m.), "Sensing Climate Change - From the Coast To the Abyss" (Carol Janzen, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., 9:30 a.m.), "Why Eating Local Makes a Difference" (Viki Sonntag, Research Director, Sustainable Seattle, 10:30 a.m.), "The Politics of Pollution: How Bad Decisions Hurt Good People" (Patty Martin, Safe Food & Fertilizer, and former mayor of Quincy, Wash., 11:30 a.m.), and "The Next Energy Frontier: Body Fat - What the National Obesity Crisis Has To Do With Sustainable Transportation" (Anindita Mitra, Founder, CREÄ Affiliates, LLC, 1:30 p.m.).
Friday brings a participatory restoration project on the BCC campus, where students will remove invasive plants and work with the City of Bellevue Stream Team to label storm drains with reminders that all runoff flows directly into our urban streams and, ultimately, Puget Sound.
A show of student environmental art, numerous displays and information booths, an interactive area for testing cosmetics and calculating one's "carbon footprint" and an environmental film series will complement the major presentations throughout the week.
Earth Week is organized by the BCC Student Science Association.
The complete schedule of events and background on the week's featured speakers and films is available online at www.scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/rv/earthweek/.
For more information contact Rob Viens in the BCC Science Division at rviens@bcc.ctc.edu or (425) 564-3158.