Earth Day Special Report

In a video recently released by Second Nature, Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow recalls a conversation with a New York Times reporter who said: "Who cares whether or not the colleges and universities reduce their carbon footprint? You only got 2 or 3 percent of the carbon footprint in the country.”

"Well, yeah, that's true," Crow answered the reporter. "But we have 100 percent of the student footprint."

The impact that students can have on the environment is one of the founding reasons behind Earth Day. That, and a faith in students to influence change. Inspired by the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," happening on college campuses all across the nation in 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson decided to organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to the environment. The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 was targeted to higher education campuses in an effort to raise awareness and appreciation for the natural environment.

Earth Day has since expanded to a global event coordinated by the Earth Day Network and Earth “Day” is often celebrated on campuses with weeks of panel discussions, volunteer opportunities, film screenings and other events that envision a sustainable future. New York University, for example, organized too many events to fit into one week and is now hosting a supersized Earth Week from April 11 – 26.

While higher education students, faculty and staff make significant strides in the campus sustainability movement year-round, Earth Day is a chance to step back and celebrate these achievements, to be inspired by sustainability leaders and success stories, and to recognize the work still ahead. Here is a snapshot of some of the campus sustainability efforts initiated in honor of Earth Day, Week, Month and Year:

University of Chicago
Playing off the horror film “Children of the Corn,” the theme for this year’s Earth Week hosted by the University of Chicago was “Food: You are what you eat. Do you know what you are?” The main goal of the week was to draw attention to the “serious food issues facing the world today, including the prevalence of corn in our food.” Events included a film screening of “Carbon Nation,” a lecture titled “Adam, Malcolm, Martin and Food: Inalienable Resources,” an e-waste drive and a volunteer work day at a community garden.

George Washington University
For the duration of April leading up to Earth Day, George Washington University (DC) focused on its commitment to water sustainability. Students were encouraged to download an Earth Month passport, an April calendar containing a variety of actions to help reduce water consumption, and participate in the GWater Challenge. Events raised awareness about global water issues, water quality, bottled water and water footprints.

University of Richmond
The University of Richmond (VA) kicked off Earth Week with Gordon Stillman talking about the Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Documentary Project, which explores local food in central Virginia through photography. Students had the opportunity to plant plots in the community garden and attend a screening of "Avatar." Festivities ended with a celebration that included rock climbing, music, pottery and a visit from Sierra Club representatives.

American University
American University (DC) highlighted a different sustainability topic each day of Earth Week. Topics included energy and climate, transportation, food and water, and a day of service. The events concluded with an Eating Green conference that included the panel discussion, “A Conversation about Food, Sustainability and Social Justice.”

Queens University of Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte (NC) held its third annual “Power Down Day” in honor of Earth Week. The campus community was advised to unplug as many electrical devices as possible for the day to reduce the amount of energy consumed. Students also had the opportunity to plant trees in the residential quad.

Oregon State University
"Earth Day Every Day" at Oregon State University spread conservation awareness during its Earth Week. The university hosted more than 25 events including a green resume writing workshop, EarthFaire, e-waste recycling collection and a PeaceCorps information session.

Appalachian State University
In addition to formally renewing its commitment to sustainability, Appalachian State University (NC) hosted a wide variety of events leading up to Earth Day. Events included an evening mixer for local farmers in which stories, tips and techniques were shared, presentations by local sustainable businesses, a campus clean-up day, free item and clothing swap, Operation Medicine Cabinet, tours on campus renewable energy and many more.

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
The Living Classroom was unveiled during the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Earth Day celebrations. Serving as a bridge between traditional educational resources, the larger community and the natural environment, the Living Classroom was created to educate and demonstrate how society can adapt to the challenges of population growth, resource depletion and climate change. A series of events were held throughout the day to welcome the new project.

Texas State University-San Marcos
Texas State University-San Marcos partnered with PSC Environmental Services for this third annual e-waste recycling event, which so far has collected and recycled more than 40,000 pounds of electronics from the community. All net proceeds from the event support sustainability efforts on the campus and the international charity World Bicycle Relief.

University of Idaho
In addition to a host of other events, the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources and Sustainability Center co-hosted a free screening of a new film called “Green Fire,” the first full-length documentary film about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold. The film was preceded by the public seminar, “Aldo Leopold, Phenology and Climate Change in Wisconsin,” by Stanley A. Temple, Beers-Bascom professor emeritus in the Conservation Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Indiana University
With events including the annual "Green Day" kickoff festival, lectures, film screenings, a poetry slam, a garden planting and a bike maintenance and safety training day, Indiana University Bloomington's "WasteD" week speaks to adapting a mindset about consumer output to ensure the security of natural resources for the future. "By choosing a theme like 'WasteD' that has a double meaning, we were able to connect the relationship between typical college experiences with issues of sustainability," says SustainIU Coordinator Lauren Kastner.

Moravian College
To promote sustainability and celebrate Earth Day on campus, Moravian College (PA) is hosting a series of green events throughout April, culminating with a free public presentation, “Reconciling the Science and Economics of Climate Change,”

This is just a small snapshot of the thousands of events happening across world in celebration of Earth Day. Tell us how your institution celebrated Earth Day!

• Reporting by Ian McHugh, Tim Gibbins and Margo Wagner

• More Information about Earth Day Special Report