A student sorts recyclable and compostable materials at a past Earth Week dumpster dive held by the Geneseo Environmental Organization. (SUNY Geneseo/Keith Walters '11)
The College community will celebrate Earth Week, April 15–25, with speakers, a Garden Fest, demonstrations, campus clean-ups, art installations, and other activities highlighting worldwide environmental issues and ways individuals can make a difference.
Campus Canvas starts off programming on Monday, April 15, as students erect individual and collaborative art projects around campus for a week-long display focusing on the theme of movement. The Geneseo Environmental Organization (GEO) will also give away reusable cutlery and paper embedded with seeds for easy planting.
Other activities include a workshop on using essential oils instead of household cleaners; the annual GEO dumpster dive, in which club members demonstrate campus waste by sorting landfill material into compostable and recyclable containers; a farmer’s market; and Garden Fest in the eGarden. A clean-up of the Roemer Arboretum takes place on Saturday, April 20.
On Earth Day, Monday, April 22, Allison Hoppe ’11 returns to campus to deliver the Earth Week keynote lecture at 7 p.m. in Newton 201. Hoppe is a law clerk for the Environmental Protection Agency and will discuss sustainability, climate change, and governmental efforts to utilize green energy. Her lecture is hosted by the Geneseo Campus Activities Board.
On Thursday, April 25, the Geneseo beekeeping cub will discuss pollinators and the importance of pollinators in Geneseo.
This year's programming is more extensive because more student organizations are involved, says Jane Auld '19, GEO president and an intern in the Office of Sustainability. The week, she says, "is one big push to show everyone the sustainability efforts on campus and how people can get involved."
Activities also highlight how imperative it is to take care of the environment, says Madeline Walker '19, student organizer and an intern with the Office of Sustainability. "We are living in an age where our environment is deteriorating at a rapid rate due to human activity. However, with programs like Earth Week in place, we are able to begin activism at a local level," she says. "Education about environmentalism is very important to promoting sustainability and a greener planet. We are very excited to have many different programs that incorporate the importance of environmental sustainability to the campus."
• Visit Earth Week for a full list of activities.
• Learn more about Earth Day's Campus Spruce Up on April 22.
• Watch a video about DIY composting.