April is Earth Month, and University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums will offer visitors information on how to care for our planet at home and away as well as a month’s worth of movies with environmental themes.
The annual Pentacrest Museums Family Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21, will feature a Museum of Natural History (MNH) educational effort titled “Learn ways to reduce, re-use, recycle at home.” Decorate your own canvas shopping bag to help reduce the need for disposable paper and plastic bags, get ideas for how to re-use everyday materials to make cool art projects and turn daily chores into fun games with recycling relays.
The MNH is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
In addition, there will be a Movies@MNH: Earth Month Series held each Sunday in April at 2 p.m. in Macbride Auditorium. The film series is free and open to the public and includes:
• April 7: FernGully, Magic and adventure await in FernGully, a rainforest where its magical inhabitants must fight to save their world. Ignoring the warnings of her friends, Crysta, the curious tree fairy, explores the world beyond FernGully. She discovers Zak, a real live human who is helping demolish the rainforest. Once Zak sees the beauty and magic of FernGully, he vows to save it. But it may be too late. The diabolical Hexxus is on the loose and intent on destroying all of FernGully.
• April 14: Six Degrees Could Change the World.Many scientists believe that by the year 2100, the earth's average temperature could rise by as much as six degrees Celsius. This National Geographic documentary film explores what each rising degree could mean for the future of our people and planet.
• April 21: The Lorax.The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this adventure. Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees and fights to protect his world.
• April 28: Bag It.Try going a day without plastic. In Bag It, we follow Jeb Berrier as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a documentary about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on our waterways, oceans and even our own bodies.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. You can find more information on the UI Pentacrest Museums at www.uiowa.edu/oldcap/ or www.uiowa.edu/mnh/ or by calling 319-335-0548 for Old Capitol or 319-335-0606 for MNH.