Earth Day: Lessons for a Sustainable Future

Earth Day: Lessons for a Sustainable Future examines the human-made environmental crisis and provides real-world examples for making our lives more sustainable. Part museum catalog and part sustainability textbook, the book presents in-depth background research conducted by faculty, staff, and students at West Chester University of Pennsylvania in preparation for the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology’s exhibition, Earth Day at 50: Lessons for a Sustainable Future. Using the lens as Earth Day—the largest event dedicated to sensitizing the world sustainability—this book argues that the event is an empowering reminder that positive actions in daily life can combat the ongoing environmental crisis that humans have created. The first part of the book examines the history and development of Earth Day as a lens for understanding the environmental and sustainability movements. The second part discusses various topics on sustainability that were addressed in the exhibition—from climate change and sustainable energy to microplastics and illegal poaching; from Indigenous art and environmental justice to (un)sustainable foodways. With contributions from West Chester University’s Director of Sustainability, President of the Sustainability Council, and other faculty, the last part serves as a detailed case study for how the largest fully funded, comprehensive liberal arts university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has negotiated social, economic, and environmental challenges in its sustainability efforts. As the exhibition spanned the pre- and post-COVID reality, the final chapter provides a first-person look at the Museum’s experiences in mounting a large, public exhibition amid in a global pandemic—a valuable resource for museum and sustainability professionals. An accompanying 3D virtual exhibition can be used in conjunction with this book: www.wcupa.edu/EarthDayVirtualExhibition.