Unity, Maine – March, 2012 –  A women’s environmental leadership program at Unity College will honor Zoe Weil, the President and Cofounder of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) of Surry, Maine.

The award will be presented during a ceremony at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts (UCCPA) on April 10 at 6:30 p.m.  Weil will offer a presentation on building a better world through humane education.  A desert reception will follow the award presentation.

Two Unity College female students will also receive awards.  The awards are for environmental leadership and campus leadership.

Sponsored by the Women in Environmental Leadership Program (WE Lead) at Unity College, the professional environmental leader award presentation and reception are free and open to the general public. The UCCPA is located at 42 Depot Street (off Route 202) in Unity, Maine.

Weil received a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1988) and a Master’s in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania (1983). She is certified in Psychosynthesis counseling, a form of psychotherapy which relies upon the intrinsic power of each person’s imagination to promote growth, creativity, health, and transformation.

“Zoe embodies a strong, creative commitment to service, sustainability, and the environment,” noted Nancy Zane, WE Lead Coordinator and Experiential Programs Coordinator at Unity College.  “It is essential for young females who are planning to enter the environmental field to have strong female role models, and Zoe’s contributions have inspired many.”

The Institute for Humane Education offers an inspiring vision of how to create a just, compassionate, healthy world for all through solutionary education, and puts this vision into practice by training people to be humane educators, advancing the field of solutionary education, and providing tools and inspiration for living a life that does the most good and least harm to people, animals, and the environment.

“Leadership is a lifelong quest, courses and books on this topic are only catalysts to a pursuit that lasts a lifetime,” said Kate Grenier, Unity College Events and Summer Programs Coordinator.  “WE Lead offers opportunities for female students to gain leadership skills through engaging in their communities.  Zoe is the embodiment of the importance of developing leadership skills through service to one’s community and the world throughout a lifetime.”

In 2011, Unity College was named to the top 30 of the Washington Monthly college rankings, and was one of eighteen U.S. colleges and universities named to The Princeton Review’s 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll.

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.

Saturday, March 31, 2012