The celebration of Earth Day is upon us this Friday, April 22nd. This is a day to honor planet Earth and appreciate all that it has given to us. It is also a day to reflect and think about what we can do to help preserve and protect our treasured planet. Two years ago, on Earth Day 2009, the University of Rochester launched its Go Green Pledge in effort to inspire individual members within the University community to become an active part in the efforts to become a more sustainable institution.
The Go Green Pledge accomplishes this idea by allowing you to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle, and to add new green practices to your daily life. If you are unsure where to start and what changes to make, the pledge makes it easy for you. It offers suggestions based on your affiliation with the University (i.e., whether you’re a student, faculty member, healthcare employee, staff/administration member, or a community member/friend). Some of these suggestions are universal so that almost anyone can do them, including using reusable coffee mugs and water bottles, selecting double-sided print jobs, reducing water consumption, and taking alternative transportation, whenever possible. Other items are specific to your personal affiliation, for example, faculty members can use web technology such as Blackboard instead of printing handouts. Also, students can do their laundry using a cold wash cycle and the low heat setting or racks for drying when possible.
If you’ve already adopted most of the suggestions listed on the pledge, feel free to submit your own green idea, and make your pledge more personal and meaningful to you.
Over 1,200 students, faculty and staff members, administrators, healthcare employees, and community members have already pledged to go green. If you have not already done so, you can join this effort today by clicking here.
On Friday, you can stop down to Wilson Commons and take the pledge at the Earth Day Festival from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Student organization, Grassroots, is sponsoring this fun-filled event and welcome anyone and everyone to attend. The festival will include live entertainment, free tie dye, face painting, hemp jewelry, games, and local vendors. There will also be a tour of the UR Microfarm; those interested meet outside of the bus loop in the back of Rush Rhees Library at 3:30 p.m. You can also take action by participating in the Ghandi Institute River Cleanup which will meet at the Interfaith Chapel at 5:30 p.m.
Happy Earth Day!
Thank you have given these keeping awareness about the world
Thank you for providing information about all the different ways we can participate in Earth Week.