Conservationist Dave Foreman will speak at 3 p.m.

Several UNC Asheville student organizations will host Earthfest, a day-long celebration honoring Earth Day, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, on UNC Asheville's Quad. Earthfest will feature a variety of events including environmental information booths, speakers, a rummage sale, raffle, children's activities and music by local bands. Proceeds from Earthfest will benefit Nature Conservancy projects to preserve land at Hickory Nut Gorge in Rutherford County. The event is free and open to the public. A complete schedule of activities is available at http://orgs.unca.edu/earthfest.

Two preeminent environmentalists will give presentations during the event.

Ecological theologist Tom Baugh will give a talk on "The Greening of Religion and Theology" at noon in UNC Asheville's Laurel Forum, Karpen Hall. Baugh is a noted biologist and ecologist, with decades of experience in desert, coastal and urban ecology. He received his masters in ecological theology and holds a doctorate in ministry from Wisdom University. He currently lectures on topics including biodiversity, conservation biology, urban ecology and ecological theology.

Wilderness conservationist Dave Foreman will present "Rewilding North America: The Appalachian Role in the North American Wildlands Network" at 3 p.m. in UNC Asheville's Humanities Lecture Hall. Named by Audubon Magazine as one of the 100 Champions of Conservation in the 20th Century, Foreman is considered one of the top speakers of the conservation movement. A prolific author, Foreman has published four books and writes the biweekly internet column "Around the Campfire." He serves as executive director and senior fellow at The Rewilding Institute, a conservation think tank, and is founder of The Wildlands Project, which provides conservation strategies on both local and national levels.

Live music performances will take place throughout the day. Music stylings range from jazz to rock and roll and include popular performers The Hitmen, The If You Wannas, Dashvara, Matt Rumley and Jarrett Leone.

Earthfest is sponsored by a variety of UNC Asheville and community sponsors. UNC Asheville sponsors include Active Students for a Healthy Environment, Better Asheville Recycling Coalition, Missing Links Biology Club, Student Government Association, Office of Cultural and Special Events, and Transportation Department. Community sponsors include Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company and Mountain Xpress. Number of local businesses donated raffle prize drawings, including Asheville Art Museum, Izzy's Coffee Den, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café, Minx, North Carolina Arboretum, Zambra and 68 Lexi.

For more information, call Dave Malutich, Earthfest Coordinator, at 504/615-5944.