April 16-23: CLC celebrates Earth Week with free presentations and events

Learn what the College of Lake County is doing and what you can do at home to help make our world a little more sustainable during Earth Week events at CLC April 16-23. Earth Week events are free and open to the public, and community members are invited to campus to learn about topics ranging from sustainable gardening to beekeeping to resource recovery.

Earth Week programs for adults and children are free and open to the public. Events are organized by Sustainable CLC and the Facilities department and presented by CLC instructors, consulting professionals and other experts. Activities will take place on the Grayslake Campus and last approximately one hour, unless otherwise noted. For more information, contact David Husemoller, sustainability manager at (847) 543-2643 or dhusemoller@clcillinois.edu. Or visit www.clcillinois.edu/gogreen.

Campus Clean-Up, Saturday, April 16, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Meet at the B Wing entrance. Wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty and bring work gloves.

Get Smart! Smart Grid and Smart Metering, Monday, April 18, 3 p.m., Room T323. Patrick Burgess, CLC alumnus and engineering student at Illinois Institute of Technology's Center for Smart Grid Applications, Research and Technology, will discuss how the Smart Grid creates new career opportunities. Explore the Smart Grid kiosk, an interactive educational resource in the Technology Building.

What's Going on with the Construction at CLC? Monday, April 18, noon, Lower C Wing, Room C003. Mike Welch, interim director of Facilities, and Dorothy McCarty, program manager, Cotter Consulting, Inc. will cover the exciting CLC construction and remodeling projects opening this spring and summer and continuing in the coming years.

100 Years of Conservation: Living Legacies, Monday, April 18, 7 p.m., Lower C Wing, C005 Auditorium. Learn about the new sustainable visitor center at Denali National Park that functions off the grid from Soma Roy, Siemens Industry, Inc., and how our Lake County Forest

Preserve District is planning our green infrastructure for the next 100 years from the Forest Preserve's Jim Anderson.

Environmental Chat, Tuesday, April 19, 9 a.m., Room A121. CLC Environmental Club members will provide tips and talk about projects they're passionate about, such as easy composting, seasonal eating and herb gardens to try at home.

Sustainable Gardening, Tuesday, April 19, 12:30 p.m., Lower C Wing, Room C003. Rory Klick, Horticulture department chair, will explain how basic strategies to make your own home landscape more sustainable, learn why many traditional landscaping practices aren't ecologically sound and how to increase the functional value of home landscapes and gardens.

Arbor Day Tree Planting, Tuesday, April 19, 2 p.m., Horticulture Building entrance. Help plant trees in the campus arboretum. Learn about CLC's 300-plus species of trees and shrubs, how they are used for hands-on learning and how CLC manages the collection. Wear clothing and shoes appropriate for working outside.

Movie: "Merchants of Doubt," Tuesday, April 19, 6 p.m., Southlake Campus Conference Center Rooms V336-V340, 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. In this film, a loose-knit group of high-level scientists with extensive political connections ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades.

Recycling Games, Wednesday, April 20, 8 a.m. to noon, LRC Atrium. Come spin the recycling wheel and win a prize! The First Generation Club will help you understand how to dispose of different materials, both on campus and at home, with a fun and informative game. Learn what happens to garbage after it is thrown out.

Green Roofs: Form and Function, Wednesday, April 20, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Southlake Campus Conference Center Rooms V336-V340, 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. Jason Cashmore, biology instructor, will explain how green roofs are constructed and their benefits to both the building and the environment.

All about Bees, Wednesday, April 20, 2 p.m., Lower C Wing, Auditorium C005, Edward Popelka, CLC staff and resident beekeeper. Come see how amazing our little pollinators are. Learn about the services they provide for us and our Earth. Listen to what our "beeeeautiful" bio-indicators are trying to tell us right now about a crisis right now in our environment.

Snakes Alive! Wednesday, April 20, 7 p.m., Lower C Wing, Auditorium C005, Dr. Michael Corn, professor emeritus, and Rob Carmichael, curator/director of the Wildlife Discovery Center of Lake Forest and CLC biology instructor. Back by popular demand, this kid-friendly program provides an up-close and personal introduction to snakes and other reptiles. Discover the myths, mysteries and facts surrounding reptiles.

Resource Recovery, Thursday, April 21, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Lakeshore Campus, Student Life Center, Room N015, 111 N. Genesee St. Are you confused about what is recyclable or what you can do to reduce waste? Join Facilities and SWALCO to talk about resource recovery.

Farmers' Market, Thursday, April 21, 3-5 p.m., Lower Level C Wing Lobby. Visit with CLC's local food coordinator and over one dozen local food producers to purchase some of the first greens of the season. Sign up for the CLC Learning Farm's Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA), learn about worm composting and find out where else to find locally grown produce and other locally produced food products.

Earth Week at Southlake: Grab a Green Giveaway! Thursday, April 21, 12 and 6 p.m. Southlake Campus, Atrium, 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. Receive a useful giveaway and "green" tips in honor of Earth Week! First come, first served while supplies last.

Backyard Food Production, Thursday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., Room A162. Rory Klick, CLC Horticulture department chair, will explain the variety of way to integrate food production, from containers and trellising to integrated permaculture gardens that provide both an ornamental landscape and food.

Restoration Work Day, Saturday, April 23, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Horticulture Building entrance. CLC Horticulture instructor Jeff Weiss will explain how removing invasive non-native plants and plant natives helps with restoration, which improves water quality, reduces stormwater runoff, supports beneficial wildlife and improves campus aesthetics for people who use our trails and enjoy the outdoors. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are suggested; closed-toed shoes are required. Bring work gloves and water to drink.