The Green Center at Lincoln Land Community College is sponsoring a number of activities April 22 and 26 in celebration of Earth Week. The public is invited. The following activities are free and will take place on the LLCC-Springfield campus, unless otherwise noted.
Saturday, April 22
Zombie Run Fundraiser for LLCC Food Pantry, 9 a.m.-noon, Cass Gym. Exercise, enjoy nature and have fun for a cause at the LLCC Student Government Association’s 5K Zombie Run. Fee to participate: donation of $10 or 5 items for the LLCC Food Pantry. To register, go to: https://sgazombierun.eventbrite.com.
Springfield Winter Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Third Presbyterian Church, 1030 N. 7th St., Springfield. Local farmers will offer a selection of locally grown meats, cheeses, produce, baked goods and more. Admission to the market is free.
Wednesday, April 26
Bird Banding, 7-11 a.m., Bird Banding Station (behind Cass Gym). Join Biology Professor Tony Rothering and Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders President Vern Kleen and learn about their process to capture, band and release birds, and record information which is added to a data pool on bird migration patterns. Observers may stop in for a visit or stay the entire time.
Earth Day Vendor Fair, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., A. Lincoln Commons. Discover and learn about the various organizations, individuals, and businesses on campus and in the community working on programs, projects and educational tools geared toward sustainability and earth stewardship. Visitors can experience a human-powered bicycle making fresh fruit smoothies, recycled paper being turned into art and demonstrations on making recycled beads. Locally grown items will be available for purchase. The LLCC Environmental Club will sell Earth Day T-shirts and take orders for heirloom tomato plants, and the LLCC Epicurian Club will provide snacks. Vendors include: Acbees Apiaries, City of Springfield Public Works Division of Waste and Recycling, Elevate Energy, Food Fantasies, Girl Scouts, Grow Springfield (a network of community gardens), Habitat for Humanity, Inspiro Café, Jubilee Farm, LLCC Epicurean Club, Springfield Vegetarian Association and Willow Creek Farm.
Honey bee presentation, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., A. Lincoln Commons. Learn about the life of a honey bee and its role in human lives and the environment from a longtime beekeeper.
Planting Successions, noon, LLCC Community Garden (behind LLCC Workforce Careers Center). Learn how to space plantings to harvest your favorite crops all season long.
Art Viewing, path from Sangamon Hall annex to the bridge. Tour a selection of natural land art created in the style of earth artists by LLCC 3D design students using materials from the LLCC environment. Display complete Tuesday afternoon, weather permitting.
More information is available by calling 217.786.4993 or emailing marnie.record@llcc.edu.
LLCC is now home to two donated honey bee hives! The LLCC Sustainability Committee was approached in the spring about placing bee hives on the campus. Beekeeper Dr. Stu Jacobson worked with committee member Steve Handy and workforce specialist Marnie Record to make sure the bees found a location identified as a good place for the bees as well as a safe place for those on campus. The bees are located on the southeast end of campus along the tree line. Signs will be posted near the hive area to alert people of the location. Most recently, community education students in Bee Series: Fall Management, were able to have a live demonstration at the site. In the future, credit classes will be able to incorporate the bee hives into their academic learning and Community Learning will be able to expand their class offerings. If you would like to read about all the benefits of bees, check out Jessica Tucker’s article on One Green Planet titled: