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News Release

Last modified: Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Opening festival kicks off "themester" on sustainability for IU and Bloomington community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 8, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington will kick off a semester-long initiative on sustainability with the Themester 2010 Opening Festival in Dunn Meadow this Friday (Sept. 10) from 5-8 p.m. The outdoor festival is geared toward providing students, faculty, staff and community members with information about Themester 2010.

The fall 2010 Themester: "sustain•ability: Thriving on a Small Planet," is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences in conjunction with IU's Office of Sustainability. It will offer a broad array of sustainability-related events this semester, including campus lectures, art exhibits and performances, and opportunities for engaging in sustainability on and off campus.

Festival attendees will join campus and community organizations in building rain barrels, planting windowsill gardens, learning how to repurpose electronics, and more. A selection of participating organizations includes:

• Bloomington Transportation Options for People
• Center for Sustainable Living
• Coal Free IU
• EcoSource Inc.
• Fine Arts and Textiles Student Association
• Food Works for Middle Way House
• Greeks Go Green
• Local First Indiana
• Revitalizing Animal Well-Being
• SPROUTS
• Volunteers in Sustainability

At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, attendees will be welcomed by Stephen Watt, associate dean for undergraduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences, and will have a chance to hear from Bill Brown, IU's director of sustainability. Free local organic food will be offered from Feast Catering and Green Bean Catering. The event will also feature live music from The Delicious, Eric Radoux and The Pharos.

Additional information regarding Themester 2010 can be found at https://themester.indiana.edu. To learn more about the IU Office of Sustainability visit https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain.

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