Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, also known for having successfully launched many telecommunications and information technology companies, is turning his attention to "Investing in Virginia's Energy Future" and will kick off Earth Week at Virginia Tech, this Friday, April 13, at 11 a.m., at the Inn at Virginia Tech.

Hans Puttgen, director of the Energy Center at Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne, the Swiss Federal Institute, will speak later that day at 2:30 p.m. at 3100 Torgersen Hall.

Alex Miller, student coordinator for Envirofusion, said these special presentations jumpstart a week of activities to make people aware of environmental issues.

A complete list of Earth Week events can be found on-line. Highlights include:

  • On Monday, April 16, a Town Hall Meeting will be held at the Lyric Theater from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., to discuss the future security, health and wellbeing of the United States, as well as the role of local communities in ensuring a sustainable local and global environment

  • On Tuesday, April 17 (6 p.m., Fralin Auditorium) Walter H. Adey will speak on the environmental and energy potential of Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS) systems.

  • On Wednesday, April 18 (4:30 p.m., Fralin Auditorium) a presentation by Rhizome Collective, a non-profit organization based out of Austin, Texas, and Rick Walker, senior national environmental solutions manager for Siemens Building Technologies Inc. Rhizome Collective will present an interactive workshop on permaculture – the concept of permanent agriculture.

  • On Thursday, April 19, more than 50 environmentally conscious organizations and businesses will showcase their work and mission statements for the Earth Day Fair on the Drillfield.

  • On Friday, April 20, (10 a.m., Torgersen 1000) there will be a Global Video Conference where participants will have the opportunity to participate within a global video conference to directly talk about the global environment issues.


Envirofusion is dedicated to the earth, environmentalism, and human innovation. Miller, a graduate student who received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Natural Resources said, "Envirofusion seeks to integrate the different dimensions of the environment through debate and discussion of social, political and economic topics."

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