Founder of Blessed Earth to speak at Campbellsville University Earth Day activities

By Kasey Ricketts, student news writer

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Dr. Matthew Sleeth will speak at Campbellsville University's Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy and Earth Day events.

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (04/14/2014)(readMedia)-- Dr. Matthew Sleeth, founder and executive director of Blessed Earth, will be visiting Campbellsville University on Tuesday, April 22 speaking at a Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy (KHIPP) event at 5 p.m. and at an Earth Day campus event at 1:30 p.m.

The KHIPP event will be in the Banquet Hall in the Badgett Academic Support Center at 110 University Drive, Campbellsville, Ky., and the Earth Day tree planting will be at Turner Log Cabin Park at 505 N. Columbia Ave., Campbellsville.

Green Minds Club, First-Year Experience Service Classes and local school children will participate in the tree-planning event during which Sleeth will speak. They will be planting trees, commenting with local officials and more.

Sleeth is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine and has two postdoctoral fellowships.

He was a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff. While there Sleeth treated many patients who suffered from physical symptoms from working too much, consuming too much and having too little time to focus on the important things in life.

Sleeth decided to resign in 2002 from his emergency room jobs to spend more time to lecture, write and preach about creation care and the environment.

He is now a highly sought-after speaker and is a regular guest speaker at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Sleeth has spoken at more than 1,000 churches, campuses and events.

He released his new book "24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life" in 2012. The book is about the benefits from having a "stop day," which means unplugging one day a week. He is also author of "Serve God, Save the Planet."

Sleeth is married to Nancy Sleeth, who has written the book, "Almost Amish," about her faith and the environment. Their daughter, Emma Sleeth, is the author of "It's Easy Being Green," and she works at Blessed Earth speaking to youth and college students about creation care. Their son, Clark Sleeth, is a medical student at the University of Kentucky and is preparing for missionary medicine. They live in Lexington, Ky.

Other events during the Earth Day emphasis include a showing of the movie "Life of Pi," at 7 p.m. April 23 in the Russ Mobley Theater, with free popcorn.

At 4:30 p.m. on April 25, there will be an Earth Day Hike at Clay Hill Memorial Forest. Students needing transportation to the hike can meet in front of the Banquet Academic Support Center at 4:15 p.m.

The events are being co-sponsored by Campbellsville University Green Minds, Environmental Ethics class and Student Government (SGA).

All events are free and open to the public.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

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