What gives life meaning?


Guest lecturer Tom Benevento asked students at Senior Symposium to think about living in a new way — one that doesn’t cause poverty, environmental destruction, or war, adding that it ought to be fun. In this talk, “Sustainable Living: An Act of


Justice and Peace for All,” Benevento sug- gested that such a life requires three ingredi- ents: passion, a careful career path, and a community created from natural systems. Benevento is director of the New Commu-


nity Project’s Sustainable Living Homestead in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where sustainable agriculture is combined with ground-breaking backyard environmental projects and outreach to the community. Benevento’s home has been insulated and


modified to need very little carbon-based en- ergy; cooking is done in a solar oven and clothes are dried on the line. The yard features “fences” that you can eat. Rabbits and chickens are moved around to act as manure spreaders. A small greenhouse increases food production.


Members of the homestead get around by


bicycle, delivering garden-grown vegetables and collecting curbside recyclables by bike. They have also opened a used bike shop next door to a soup kitchen to provide transporta- tion to those who have none. In exchange for four hours of labor and a small donation, peo- ple receive a refurbished bike. Benevento notes that their best bike me-


chanic is a homeless man who showed up one day in a wheelchair. The group has also worked with Latino neighbors in trailers to start community gardens. “Amazing things happen when you create community,” the project coordinator said. He finished his lecture by asking how many


people use bicycles for transportation. Three professors stood up. He asked how many peo- ple try to eat local food. A third of the room stood. He asked how many give money to causes they believe in or do volunteer service. Nearly everyone stood.


The Thelema Trio, a Belgian con- temporary classical ensemble, shook it up in Sydnor Perform- ance Hall as they performed a wide range of musical styles and new performance techniques by contemporary composers. The trio’s sound comes from a unique combination of piano, saxo- phones, and clarinets. The en- semble has performed in Belgium, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, and the United States. The Lynchburg College Ad


Can politics sustain us?


“We are living on this planet as though we had another one to go to.” — Terri Swearingen, nurse and environmentalist


Former Virginia Delegate Shan- non Valentine used this quote at a Senior Symposium lecture on public discourse and sustainability. She said when you look at all


the serious issues facing us, from unsustainable energy sources to environmental degradation and from a loss of competitiveness to growing poverty, you have to wonder where the outrage is. Not only is the United States


not addressing these issues, she said, it’s ceding power to China, which now leads the world in clean energy investment, and Germany, which leads in solar technology.


“Why do Americans believe it’s


okay to keep drilling for offshore oil? Why has there been so little debate, so little legislation?” asked Valentine, who noted there are two answers to those ques- tions: One is that the 2008 reces- sion brought us to a standstill; the other is that politicians are afraid to tell the truth. “Politicians make decisions based on polling,” she said. That gives us energy politics, not energy policy. Valentine had just returned


from a speaking engagement in Washington, D.C., commemorat- ing Barbara Johns, a sixteen-year- old black student who changed the course of history by protest- ing against the terrible schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Her lawsuit became part of the Brown v. Board of Education case


that found segregation unconsti- tutional. “This is your moment,” she said


to the students, urging them to protest the unsustainable prac- tices all around them. As an ex- ample, Valentine noted that Lynchburg still dumps 100 million gallons of raw sewage into the James River because of sewage overflow during heavy rains. (Edi- tor’s Note: On the day of Valen- tine’s talk, the media reported a fish kill of 1,000 fish in Lynchburg as the result of a sewage spill.) Valentine left students with a


bit of advice. “Never give your power away to one medium. Get your news from many sources. Be the people you want to be.”


Astra Trio opened for Thelema Trio, performing works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Claude De- bussy. Ad Astra comprises LC seniors Matthew Booth, piano; Anna Piddubna, violin; and Teresa Crist, cello. The Lynchburg College Choral


Union and Chamber Orchestra presented the eighth annual per- formance of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Dr. Jong Kim, to an audience of nearly 1,000 at Heritage Baptist Church. The Wind Symphony and Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Oeida Hatcher, performed its holiday concert in Sydnor Performance Hall.


Sounds you’ve never heard


Spring 2011 LC MAGAZINE 7


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