Friday, April 22, Is Earth Day 2022
This is Earth Week 2022, and WCU’s Office of Sustainability (OoS) has the handle on events happening to celebrate the University’s successful sustainability initiatives and draw awareness to issues that demand more attention and investment both locally and globally. See the graphic on this page for the week’s events, including these highlights:
Bike Maintenance Workshop, Friday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Ehinger Gym. Learn or practice the bike maintenance ABCs (air, brakes, chains).
Planetarium show: Seeing the Milky Way, Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 23, at 12 p.m. The program addresses light pollution that limits our view of the night skies.
Sustainability will be evident at the University’s Sesquicentennial Showcase this Saturday, April 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. In addition to an information table on the Quad and the planetarium show, there will be a tree planting in the Gordon Natural Area on South Campus from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In West Chester Borough, clean-up weekend is April 23 and 24. Teams register to clean up two- to five-block areas at their own pace using a clean-up kit from the borough, which will collect refuse at designated drop-off locations.
The West Chester Green Team, an environmental civic group that frequently collaborates with WCU’s Office of Sustainability, is hosting a “chalk the walk” event along Gay and High streets in the borough to spread messages about caring for the earth.
ICYMI: Effective this January, businesses in the West Chester are subject to the ordinance banning single-use plastic bags and plastic straws. The borough is one of more than 500 U.S. municipalities that have adopted such measures to reduce plastic usage and pollution.
This year, Ramboree is the same day as Earth Day — Friday, April 22 — and the take-home food containers at the event are compostable. This might also remind the campus community that Aramark’s “to-go” program encourages students to bring along their own mug or bag to the dining hall and Sykes Student Union, reducing the amount of disposables produced and wasted. Look for discounts at many locations as an incentive for bringing your own containers.
Click here to sign up for the Office of Sustainability’s weekly Sustainability Bulletin.
WCU emphasizes sustainability every day, not only on April 22 each year. In fact, sustainability figures prominently in WCU’s strategic plan, Pathways to Student Success as one of the five main areas critical to student success. From purchasing to recycling to energy usage to student housing to research, sustainability is ingrained in the fabric of the University.
Upcoming Events
Friday, April 29, 9 a.m.
To celebrate Arbor Day, the Sustainability Council’s Campus Tree Committee will be hosting a dedication of the new tree nursery on South Campus at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 29. Committee members will take this time to plant the very first tree in the nursery. The nursery is located next to the South Campus Garden.
Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m.
Two student groups collaborate to bring David Benzaquen, a vegan venture capitalist and a leading expert in the plant-based food industry, to campus. Benzaquen spent nearly a decade leading a corporate strategy consulting firm for plant-based consumer products and founded one of the first plant-based seafood companies. Joshua Filer, Veg Out president and incoming WCU Investment Group vice president, along with Clay Corcimiglia, current WCU Investment Group president, will moderate the event, which will be livestreamed from Sykes Student Union Theater. This event will feature food from the plant-based Greyhound Café and vegan Love Again Local. Register here.