This year Emory University is celebrating Earth Day with a month-long series of events to promote environmental protection called Earth Month.
Emory’s Office of Sustainability spearheaded Earth Month and put together a number of events in anticipation of the celebration, including an Earth Day festival on April 22.
“The University’s Sustainability Vision calls on the Office of Sustainability Initiatives to help restore our global ecosystem, foster healthy living and reduce the University’s impact on the local environment,” Sustainability Programs Director Emily Cumbie-Drake wrote in an email to the Wheel.
Director of Sustainability Initiatives Ciannat Howett and her office are dedicated to teaching Emory how to be environmentally friendly. The office’s website defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations.” Since its founding in 2006, the office has launched several campus-wide projects related to recycling and saving energy.
Cumbie-Drake wrote that the goal of Earth Month is to inspire environmental activism on campus, as well as bring attention to sustainability projects going on locally, nationally and globally. She added that she hopes the various activities lined up for Earth Month will motivate students, faculty and staff to see the importance for increased action.
The Office of Sustainability’s website includes a list of events, including “Emory Recycles E-Waste and Shredding” and “Oxford Campus Residence Hall Recycling Competition,” which will both run throughout April, encourage the easy but impactful act of recycling.
The website indicates a medley of panels, discussions, speakers and presentations, all of which are related to environmental sustainability.
Arun Agrawal, a professor at the University of Michigan, spoke on sustainability development, and Jim Hartzfield (’93B) gave a presentation on “sustainability as a source of innovation and trends in human tech.”
Upcoming events include a film screening of “Food, Inc.,” which examines the United States’ business of food production; a guided tour of Lullwater Preserve, which “focuses on the intersection between humanity and the environment;” 100 Mile Meal, which will serve lunch to students using only food products from within 100 miles and a community food symposium, which will delve into the issue of food security.
The largest and most anticipated event, is the Earth Day Festival on April 22, the globally recognized Earth Day. The celebration will take place in Asbury Circle alongside Emory’s weekly Farmers Market, where local vendors and campus organizations will promote environmental missions and educate students on the importance of caring about the earth.
Cumbie-Drake wrote that there will also be live music, free food samples and some fun activities for students who drop by the festival. At Oxford, she wrote there will be a similar Earth Day Festival featuring a Trashion Show, Earth Day Market, a sustainable art exhibit and other attractions.
She wrote that she and the Office of Sustainability hope to see students at the Earth Day Festivals.
– By Cindy Tang
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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