Iris Liang '07 has helped entrepreneurs and small businesses fight poverty in Africa.

Dump and Run

The 10th annual Dump and Run Sale, Aug. 18-19 at Helen Newman Gym on North Campus, offers everything needed to furnish a dorm room or apartment at bargain prices. Thousands of used items on sale include furniture, electronics, appliances, school supplies, sporting goods, clothing and shoes.

The sale is open to the Cornell community and the public, Aug. 18, 8:30 sa.m.-4 p.m. and Aug. 19, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dump and Run is a waste recovery and recycling initiative sponsored by Campus Life, collecting reusable goods from students moving out in the spring. Proceeds from the sale benefit local charities and nonprofits. Last year's sale raised $38,000 for Ithaca-area organizations. Information: http://dumpandrun.campuslife.cornell.edu

Going green

Learn about sustainability at Cornell and how you can get involved, Aug. 19, 2-3 p.m. at the Carol Tatkon Center.

Entomology professor Mike Hoffmann, director of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station in Ithaca, and student leaders from sustainability-related organizations on campus will discuss Cornell's efforts to go green.

Also, a Green Vendor Fest will be held Aug. 21, 1-3 p.m. on Rawlings Green.

Jazz jam

The Cornell University Jazz Ensembles will play a jam session Monday, Aug. 20, 9:30-11 p.m. at the Balch Hall Arch. All first-year and transfer student musicians with jazz experience are invited to sit in.

New students will have the opportunity to meet CU Jazz student officers and other players, and learn about upcoming auditions. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Information: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/jazz/calendar.html

Giving back

Iris Liang '07 will talk about bold career choices that took her from banking to fighting poverty through small-business financing in Ghana and Sudan, Aug. 21, 7 p.m. in Robert Purcell Community Center Auditorium.

Her talk, "How Can I Help? What One Cornellian Has Done With Her Time, Talents and Training," is a religion and public life lecture sponsored by Chesterton House and Campus on a Hill.

Liang is director of operations for Videre, a faith-based nonprofit economic development organization she helped launch. After leaving her investment banking job in New York City in 2008, she guided Videre's pilot programs in north Ghana and Sudan, and served as executive director until this year. She received her Cornell B.S. in applied economics and management.

World of options

Discover the array of language and international programs on campus and abroad -- at the Language and International Studies Fair, Tuesday, Aug. 21, noon-2 p.m. on the Uris Hall Terrace and Uris Hall's first floor.

The fair, organized by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Language Resource Center, will provide students with information about language courses, major and minor programs, travel opportunities, fellowships, study abroad and language houses on campus. Area studies program directors also will talk about plans for their programs for the coming year. The event is part of Orientation for graduate and undergraduate students.

Information: http://einaudi.cornell.edu/node/9739

Free films

Cornell Cinema offers free Welcome Weekend screenings of two 2012 hit movies Thursday, Aug. 23, in Uris Auditorium. The animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax," with the voices of Zac Ephron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito, is at 7:30 p.m., followed by the superhero ensemble picture "The Avengers" with Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans at 10 p.m.

Both movies are free with a Cornell ID and part of Cornell Cinema's new Film Favorites series of recent Hollywood and art house hits, popular films from recent decades and cult classics old and new.

"The Avengers" also screens Friday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. in Uris; regular ticket prices apply ($8 general admission, $6 senior citizens, $5.50 students, $5 Cornell graduate students and ages 12 and under). All films are open to the public.

Due to renovations in Willard Straight Theatre, Cornell Cinema will not resume screenings there until Sept. 19. Before that date, a variety of cinema events will take place in other locations around campus and in downtown Ithaca.

Information: http://cinema.cornell.edu

Gardening lore

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Tompkins County offers workshops and activities open to the public year-round.

In the coming week, CCE programs include Insects Around Us, Aug. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca, with insect expert Carolyn Klass. $5 fee, register in advance by calling 607-272-2292.

Programs for young children at the Ithaca Children's Garden near Cass Park include Garden Chefs, Aug. 23 and 30, 10-11 a.m. ($6-$10 sliding scale); and Summer Sprouts, Aug. 22, 10-11 a.m., part of a series with stories and hands-on gardening projects, Wednesdays through Sept. 12. Free; donations welcome. Information: Leigh MacDonald-Rizzo, 607-272-2292, ext. 186 or lam26@cornell.edu.