Mound Native Kelsey Piepkorn Attends National Student Environmental Summit

SAINT PAUL, MN (12/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Bethel University junior Kelsey Piepkorn recently attended the 2011 Renewal National Student Environmental Summit at Houghton College in New York. Piepkorn has a passion for creative care and environmental sustainability.

The summit, sponsored by Renewal – a Christian environmental organization – brings students from across the United States and Canada together to learn from renowned environmental leaders like Peter Illyn, discuss current environmental issues, share experiences from their own campuses, and attend training sessions focused on leadership in environmental projects.

As part of the summit, Piepkorn was able to present on a few of Bethel's ongoing environmental projects, including the green roof on Bethel University's Brushaber Commons and the efforts of Creation Restoration, a Bethel student group, to raise awareness of environmental issues on campus.

The speakers and workshop leaders at the summit emphasized that no single person can solve the world's environmental problems and change won't happen all at once, a message the students found uplifting and encouraging.

"I can do my best, and the rest is in God's hands. That was really encouraging for me to hear," Piepkorn adds.

Piepkorn's hope is to use the experience and the lessons they learned to continue leading sustainability efforts and raising environmental awareness at Bethel.

Bethel University is a leader in Christ-centered higher education with approximately 6,600 students from 48 states and 25 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs. Based in St. Paul, Minn., with additional seminary locations on both coasts, Bethel offers rigorous bachelor's and advanced degrees in nearly 100 relevant fields. For further information on Bethel University, go to www.bethel.edu.