Sustainability Event to Take Place in Chester on April 6

CHESTER, Pa.– Chester Writers House, a non-profit community writing center sponsored by Widener University, will host “A Night of Sustainable Thinking” on Wednesday, April 6, from 4-6:30 p.m. at MJ Freed Theatre, at 515 Avenue of the States in Chester. The second in a series of lectures sponsored by Chester Writers House, the event joins scientists, lawyers, community activists, writers, students, and community members in a discussion of environmental issues facing Chester and the world beyond. Eight presenters will speak for approximately 15 minutes each on topics such as environmental justice, healthy eating, gardening and organic farming, climate change, recycling, and reducing waste. A group discussion and question and answer session will follow the presentations. Refreshments will be served.

Khalil Williams, a senior communication studies major at Widener University who has been working on this project, talked about having a personal connection to it as a Chester native. "As a resident of the city, I felt that it was important to help people in my community start thinking about sustainability,” said Williams. “We use our resources with the present moment in mind, but it’s important to think about how we can make these same things available to our people 10, or 15 years down the line.”

Chester Writers House director, Jayne Thompson, said of the event, “The goal of the evening, and the goal of all the lectures in the series, is to bring people together to discuss the pressing issues of our time. Certainly, environmental sustainability is a pressing issue, and I am overjoyed that so many knowledgeable people have volunteered their time to join us for the evening.” Thompson added, “On Saturday, April 9, we are celebrating our new-found knowledge and spreading it at ‘A Day of Sustainable Thinking,’ a neighborhood fair with face painting, giveaway items, food, and demonstrations of repurposed items to be held at J. :Lewis Crozer Library on Engle Street in Chester. I hope everyone will join us for the evening and the day events.” 

Admission is free to the public. For more information, contact Jayne Thompson at jmthompson@widener.edu.