Earth Day is Sunday, April 22, and the Office of Sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis is commemorating the day on the Danforth Campus by organizing several events during the month of April.
The Office of Sustainability also launched the university’s inaugural Car-Free Month and Green Offices Program in April.
Events also are taking place on the School of Medicine campus. To learn about Earth Day activities there, visit news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/23705.aspx.
Green Thurtene — Friday-Sunday, April 20-22
The Green Events Commission and Office of Sustainability are partnering with Thurtene Honorary to make Thurtene Carnival as close to zero-waste as possible. In addition to diverting construction waste to recycling, composting will be set up at the carnival for all food waste and compostable utensils/containers.
The event will feature “green waste stations,” where volunteers will be on-hand to help carnival-goers sort their waste into the appropriate stream, dramatically decreasing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. To volunteer, sign up at tinyurl.com/GreenThurtene2012.
Sustainable landscape planting — 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuedsay, April 24
University staff, faculty and students are invited to learn about
sustainable landscape first-hand by helping plant a rain garden along
the south side of Eads Hall.
Rain gardens (or bioswales) help to filter storm water and allow it to infiltrate into the soil, reducing
runoff that strains regional sewers. Featuring a variety of native
plants, bioswales are a low-maintenance addition to landscapes that need
no chemical fertilizers or herbicides.
To volunteer for the planting, email sustainability@wustl.edu. Volunteers should wear closed-toed shoes, dress prepared to plant and can come and go as their schedule allows. Work gloves and refreshments will be provided.
This event is sponsored by Facilities Planning and Management, the
Office of Sustainability, and the student finalists of the Olin
Sustainability Case Competition.
State of Renewable Energy in Missouri — 6 p.m. April 24
Net Impact and Green Action, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, are organizing a symposium to discuss the feasibility of renewable energy in Missouri and the complex process of energy generation and distribution in the state.
Panelists — including Rich Wright, managing executive of renewables at Ameren; Marc Lopata, president of Microgrid Energy; Jan Anderson, president of JCA Ventures; Dominique Durbin, president of Durbin Geothermal; Doug Bice, project development manager of Abengoa Bioenergy; and Andrew Linhares, deputy director of Renew Missouri — will discuss local renewable industries, including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.
The event is free and open to the public. Networking and appetizers will take place before and after the main event. For more information, visit washunetimpact.wordpress.com/symposium.