Green Cities

Maryland Terps Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day? More like Earth Month!

At the University of Maryland, everyday is treated as if it were Earth Day. This year, the University will be hosting “Earth Month” to celebrate Earth Day throughout April. Earth Month consists of 16 different university events ranging from a “Careers in Sustainability Forum” to an “Urban Environmental Stewardship Conference” to the “UMD Earth Day Festival” on April 22!

 

The 2015 UMD Earth Day Festival this year will feature a variety of food, music, activities, speakers, student groups, and campus departments! University of Maryland’s Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) will be hosting this event and are hoping to make this year’s festival the best and most influential one yet!

 

In previous years, the SSC has hosted a number of different events and activities in celebration of Earth Day. The 2014 celebration consisted of a number of student, staff, and community organizations tabling to display and promot their commitment to sustainability and the environment. The SSC also featured a number of activity stations such as a smoothie bike, a basil-planting station, a mural, an environmental information station, and more. Lastly, there were two speakers, VP of Administration and Finance and the Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, who spoke on various things happening on campus in support of sustainability.

 

This year, the SSC hopes to host a much larger crowd! They are working to make the festival just as exciting and fun as last year with many of the same student groups, organizations, and activities. Ori Gutin, the director of the Student Sustainability Committee states “the festival should serve as an opportunity to simply appreciate the planet and how much work is being done in our community to protect it”.

 

Other than planning and hosting the annual Earth Day at UMD, the Student Sustainability Committee hosts a plethora of other activities and events to promote sustainability not only at UMD, but also around the community. Some of their successful campaigns have included “STOP Cove Point”, “Fossil Free UMD”, and “Stopping Fracking in Maryland”. Their popular events include Residence Hall Composting, Sustainable Maryland Day, Recycling in College Park Bars, and People’s Climate March.

 

With all these events, activities, and impactful campaigns, its no wonder the Student Sustainability Committee is one of the most prominent and successful environmental groups on UMD’s campus!

 

Earth Day Network looks forward to seeing what they will do next!

 

 

Avantika Manglik, Intern