2009 Earth Day events and ACUPCC signing
The annual Earth Day event at Minot State University will be held April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center Quad. This year’s celebration will tie in directly with a week of spring activities held for Minot State students.
Earth Day 2009 will include informational tables with "green suggestions" for both students and the general community. Minot-area "green businesses" will also be featured at booths, which will contain details of the businesses’ green practices and their positive impact on the environment.
A campus-wide cleanup project has been organized for April 22 with support from the Office of Plant Services. Prizes will go to those teams or individuals who make the greatest impact during the cleanup.
The signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment by MSU President David Fuller will take place at 11:30 a.m. The agreement articulates important commitments and goals for the university to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.
The Minot State University community is encouraged to donate its recyclable items on this date. Earth Day organizers will take appropriate donations of aluminum cans, newspapers or plastic bottles.
Members of the public and Minot State can enter a "Creative Repurposing Contest" sponsored by the MSU Art Club and the Art Department at Minot State. The contest will judge homemade projects made out of recycled or reused items, based on their artistic merit, creative reuse of materials and their utilitarian qualities. So start building those aluminum can side tables, cardboard chairs and mailing tube CD racks and bring them to be judged.
A number of Minot State "green citizens" have helped make a difference on the MSU campus and throughout the community. An example of a green practice recently undertaken by Chartwells food service is trayless dining. This saves on water use during washing and cuts down on excess food consumption, which in turn cuts down on food waste. As well, the public health nursing students’ "e-rase your e-waste" project helped properly dispose of almost 11,000 pounds of potentially harmful electronic waste, stopping it from reaching local landfills.
The Earth Day celebration will include musical and dance performances from Minot State students and faculty and a barbecue lunch for students.
