North Central plans special Earth Day celebration

North Central College invites the community to join in a special Earth Day celebration at noon Tuesday, April 22, at the college's Oesterle Library.

The event is the culmination of a yearlong fellowship for North Central senior Heidi Goetsch, who was presented a grant from the National Wildlife Federation to design and plant a garden of native plants for the college. Members of the community are invited to join in the planting of this garden at the north and south entrances of the college's library, 320 E. School St., Naperville. Tools for the project will be provided by the college.

At noon, before the planting, a representative from the Conservation Foundation will award the college with Conservation@Work certification. This certification recognizes local businesses and schools that have implemented sustainable land management practices, such as conserving rainwater, removing invasive species, reducing chemical use and watering, and increasing the amount of native plants on campus.

North Central has implemented all of the sustainability requirements necessary for this certification, including installing permeable pavers and rain gardens in the Sesquicentennial Walkway, planting native gardens in other areas around campus, and creating a native plant garden outside the library.

In case of rain, the ceremony will be held inside Oesterle Library in the Dr. Lora L. Tyson Education Curriculum Resource Center and planting activities will take place at noon Thursday, April 24.

For details, contact Brittany Graham, North Central's sustainability coordinator, at bdgraham@noctrl.edu or (630) 637-5623.