Sustainability forum at NIC

A weeklong symposium addressing sustainability issues kicked off Monday at North Idaho College.

The college’s former Popcorn Forum, a speaker series that lasted for more than 30 years, has been revamped into Cardinal Connections, which offers panel discussions, movies and events through Friday, a college news release said.

Each day begins at 9 a.m. with speeches or presentations on issues of sustainability involving waste, water, food and power. Those talks will be followed at 11 a.m. with screenings of movies on the same topics, including “Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home,” “Blue Gold” and “Food, Inc.” Each day also offers visual and hands-on activities in the afternoon, including plans to construct a community garden on campus on Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. The days are capped with panel discussions in the evenings and additional movie screenings.

All events are free and open to the public. Cardinal Connections is sponsored by NIC, the Associated Students of NIC and the Human Rights Education Institute. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.nic.edu/cardinal connections, or call (208) 769-3276.