WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 15, 2018 — West Liberty University will take part in a public program on sustainability taking place at the nearby Mount St. Joseph on March 17.
Faculty member Dr. Vishakha Maskey and employee Keith Kaczor are presenting at the daylong event, sponsored by the St. Joseph Retreat Center, Catholic Charities West Virginia, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Moundsville and the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation.
“Strengthening sustainability and environmental education is something I believe in and I’m proud that West Liberty University remains committed to fostering a culture of caring for the environment in many ways. Research shows that green schools can save money, improve health, and inspire academic achievement. I congratulate our Sustainability Council for taking part in community events like this,” said President Stephen Greiner.
“I’ll be presenting at the program and explaining our organizational culture and what we’re doing to change it here at West Liberty University. Both Keith and I will explain how we are creating values that can be embraced by campus and we’ll share some of our recent work with energy efficiency and recycling as well as explain our future direction,” explained Dr. Maskey, who is an associate professor of management and economics in the Gary E. West College of Business. Her research interest focuses on organizations and natural environment, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.
Kaczor is chairman of the Sustainability Council and is a lead trades specialist (HVAC) in the Physical Plant.
Other presenters include Mary Ellen Cassidy, coordinator of the New Energy Economy Program at the WALS Foundation in Wheeling; Nicholas Mayrand, director of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston’s Department of Formation and Mission, and Danny Swan, co-founder of Grow Ohio Valley. Kate Kosydar, parish social ministry coordinator of Catholic Charities West Virginia, will give a keynote address.
West Liberty University’s Sustainability Council works on environmental issues and education throughout the year. Its members work to encourage green thinking on campus in a variety of ways. Most recently it has increased recycling education in all student dorms, added a sustainability page on the WLU website and created a number of PSAs to encourage green living on WLU’s You Tube page.
Student interns also serve on the council and work on a variety of projects including grant writing and social media. Future plans include campus trail walks and creating outdoor learning spaces.
The Sustainability Council also works hard to promote Earth Day on campus and will sponsor an Environmental Education Week this spring from Monday – Friday, April 23 – 27. April 25 (Earth Day) will include a daylong program of lectures, demonstrations and campus involvement in the College Union with local vendors participating.
For updates on the Sustainability Council, follow @wlurecycle on Twitter and Instagram. To view one a sustainability council PSA, click here.
For more on the March 17 program, please click here to visit St. Joseph Retreat Center’s website.