Fairmont State to host Earth Day activities

Beginning this week, Fairmont State University students, faculty and staff will be celebrating Earth Day through various programming focused on creating environmental awareness and promoting sustainability.

According to Professor of Chemistry Dr. Erica Harvey, April 22 serves as a reminder of our shared commitment and obligation to our planet and the ways in which we can practice sustainability all year round.

“Sustainability is for everyone,” she said. “And it is not as intimidating as it can seem. It’s often small, practical changes that can make a difference.”

Campus Earth Day activities will kick off this Thursday, April 20 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on the Falcon Center Quad. There, the campus community can learn about initiatives like glass crushing, attend a solar panel demonstration, plant native wildflower “seed bombs,” add to a bottle cap mural of endangered species in West Virginia and learn about recycling plastics.

In addition, from now until April 25, students can participate in an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt that is available on the Creative Sustainability Council’s webpage. Throughout the scavenger hunt, students will search for 13 sustainability-related features and activities across campus. Students can simply use their cell phones to access the scavenger hunt and keep track of their progress at https://arcg.is/0aaqjX. A story map, created by Professor Barb MacLennan and several geography and geospatial students, can also be found at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cbe8d9420166478fb71afddbb6d48d2a.

Upcoming Earth Day celebrations are also in the works for the inauguration of Fairmont State’s own arboretum, which will soon come to life with the planting of 14 flowering trees on the steep hillside above Prichard Hall. Professor Robert Baker explained that the arboretum is a response to climate change that will create a carbon sink and help prevent soil erosion.

“The idea for the arboretum came about to both beautify the campus and to create a project that would help people understand that you can take small actions in a local area to enact change,” he said.

Finally, between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, Harvey, along with students from Fairmont State’s Creative Sustainability Council and the Honors 3350 Campus Sustainability class, will present a lecture titled “Sustainability is for Everyone” in room 106 of the Turley Center. The campus community can RSVP to a calendar invite that was sent out earlier this week if they wish to attend the lecture in person. The lecture will also be available via WebEx at https://fairmontstate.webex.com/fairmontstate/j.php?MTID=mc426a80b16d8a53ffaa4c6e9738e9bdd.

“Practicing sustainability is something that is hard at first,” said Allison Quigley, student president of the Creative Sustainability Council. “It is a disciplined lifestyle choice, but once you try it, you will find that it is easier than you think and very rewarding. By using less plastic, recycling, and conserving water as a campus, we can make a great deal of change in the community that we share.”

Dr. Erica HarveyAlly QuigleyEarth DayCreative Sustainability Council