By Amelia Brown
Everyone knows Eli Knapp loves birds, but at the Coppa Conservation event at 7 p.m. on September 23, Knapp will share about his love of wolves, which began as a child and led him to Yellowstone National Park as an adult.
“Some of us outgrow our childhood interests and some don’t,” he said.
Knapp is a part of the group that did not outgrow their childhood interests but rather he turned them into his career. Today he is a professor, birder, field botanist, and animal expert. As Knapp studies the interactions between the environment and humans as he did in East Africa, the importance of conservation has never left his mind.
“To diminish the world to just us, or just a few species, diminishes us and the expression of God’s glory,” he said.
Human’s ever-increasing impact on the environment has led to habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity, thus leading to less opportunities to encounter God’s creation.
Brian Webb, the director for the Center for Sustainability, describes the purpose of the Coppa Co and Center for Sustainability event.
“We are hoping to bring awareness to conservation issues, such as biodiversity and animal protection, and how our purchasing of items like coffee and chocolate can have a positive or negative effect on biodiversity” Webb explains.
Students that follow the Center for Sustainability on Instagram can receive a free flight tray of Fair Trade coffee. Other drinks from Coppa Co are also available for purchase. All other community members can purchase coffee flights for four dollars. Endangered Species Chocolate, a brand that prioritizes conservation through donations and sustainably sourced ingredients, will be available for tasting.
Elijah Studt, a freshman, explained he will be attending the event because “I want to know what difference I can make” to conserve natural resources.
After an hour of live music from Selah Kurtz and Linette Taylor, Knapp will share stories about the animal encounters he has experienced around the firepit at Coppa Co. If you are still on the fence of whether to attend, Knapp has already considered this possibility
“Even if the stories fail, we still have hot chocolate and fire.”★