West Palm Beach, Fla. April 15, 2024-– In 1970, during the Vietnam War, Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson organized the observation of the first national Earth Day celebration. Now, almost 54 years later, Earth Day is a time-honored tradition.
Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University believes that we have been entrusted by God to serve as stewards of the earth, and students, faculty and staff are celebrating Earth Week from April 22-26. There will be daily challenges throughout the week aimed to help reduce our environmental impact, and students can participate in activities that educate them on the pressing environmental issues both globally and locally.
Workship: Service and Stewardship
PBA’s Workship community service initiative, which recently celebrated 4 million volunteer hours served, is centered on fostering an environment that encourages students to care for the earth that God has provided.
Grant Rowlette, a recent PBA alumnus and Workship coordinator, described sustaining the Earth as “part of the creation mandate.”
“We are meant to be stewards,” Rowlette said, adding that the way that how we treat the planet should reflect how “God has loved us.”
Earth Week Will Shine Spotlight on Sustainability
Dr. Christina Batoh, associate professor of the Department of Biology, is passionate about environmental sustainability.
“As Christians, we know that the misuse and deterioration of God’s beautiful creation is another symptom of our original sin,” she stated.
Dr. Batoh will lead PBA’s Earth Week celebration. Events will feature conservation talks by environmental experts, as well as an Earth Day Fair on the Rinker Green.
“To the greatest extent that we can, we should undo the sins of our past pollution and leave the Earth more ‘Eden-like’ for our children,” Dr. Batoh shared.
PBA’s Creation Care Project, which recently received funding from the Climate Science in Theological Education (CSTE) Grant Initiative. Earth Week will host an informative booth at the Earth Day fair and deliver a chapel sermon to emphasize the importance of creation care.
To learn more about PBA’s Earth Week celebration and to see a schedule of the events, visit: https://www.pba.edu/academics/schools/liberal-arts-sciences/earth-week/
