By Julia Mericle
Editor-in-Chief
April showers have arrived on campus, and so has Earth Month. The Campus Conservationists planned a month’s worth of events to celebrate and educate.
The Campus Conservationists, an organization derived from the prior land use subcommittee, centered the events around both the upcoming Earth Day and Arbor Day. However, their event flier reads in big letters, “Every day is Earth Day.”
“We are trying to build momentum to shifting the culture on campus toward greater stewardship, towards behaviors that promote sustainability, toward just getting people outside,” said Kevin Vogel, faculty leader of the Campus Conservationists and biology professor.
Earth Month will kick off tomorrow with “Increase your Nature IQ,” a geocaching event that encourages the exploration of biological diversity on Bonaventure’s campus.
Geocaching is defined as the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. The activity will be available on www.sbu.edu until April 30, by searching “trees,” clicking on the first link and finding the “Increase Your Nature IQ” page.
Vogel said one of his reasons for joining the Campus Conservationists was to promote conservation and sustainability, but also to promote the Bonaventure campus.
“We are here. We are in this location. Why not have that be a selling point instead of ‘Oh, you are in the middle of nowhere’? For some of us, that is a reason to be here versus going to a school in the middle of a big city,” Vogel said.
Sean Hillery, a member of the Campus Conservationists, agreed that the Bonaventure campus should be more appreciated.
“We have such a beautiful campus and we want to get people to enjoy it to its fullest potential instead of just walking from building to building,” Hillery, a junior environmental science major, said.
Partnering with other organizations on campus, such as the photography club, allowed for the “Study of Trees” exhibition opening on April 11. The photos, taken with the theme “What do trees say to you? In a single word,” will be displayed in the first-floor connector between Walsh Science Center and De La Roche Hall.
“Fragile Forests: Globalization, Our Changing Planet, and the Future of Our Wooded Spaces,” a panel co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Clare College and the department of Biology, is set for April 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Loft of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The panel will feature regional forestry experts.
Hillery said these events can bring awareness to students to realize small lifestyle changes they could make to reduce waste.
“I think it’s important that the campus celebrates Earth month to remind them that nature is not just used for economic expenditure but also for aesthetic and recreational uses,” Hillery said.
Immediately following the panel discussion, students can attend the fifth annual Trashion Fashion show in the Rigas Family Theatre, sponsored by the QCA. The show features earth-friendly recycled fashion created by the collaboration of St. Bonaventure and local high-school students.
On April 20, students are encouraged to “Reduce Your Carbon Footprint One Watt at a Time.” This 24-hour event challenges students to switch off their bulbs and see how long they can use only natural lighting. Students can visit my.sbu.edu to take the “lights out pledge.”
Vogel said he wants the Earth Month events to promote a variety of different topics and that knowledge can be found right at Bonaventure.
“Dr. [Darryl] Mayeaux loves his birds. I’m the plant guy. I couldn’t pick out one type of bird song over another song. I notice that they are there, but I have not trained myself in any way. But there are who people who will be. So, why not use that expertise we have on campus?” said Vogel, of the “Sounds of Spring” event.
This event will take participants on a walk of the Allegheny River Trail to learn about woodland creatures, primarily birds. A session will be held at 7:30 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. A pre-registration email to Mayeaux is required.
While walking the trail, Vogel said to notice the addition of birdhouses built and decorated by the Bona Buddies. He wants Campus Conservationists to reach beyond the immediate campus community.
“We don’t want this to be simply a university organization. We want to be able to outreach to the community and partner with Olean and Allegany. We want this to promote activities that span all ages,” Vogel said.
On Earth Day, April 22, the organization plans to hold a trail and community clean-up starting at noon at the start of the Allegheny River Trail near the tennis courts. To sign up, contact Jacob Nugent at nugentjt13@bonaventure.edu.
The same day marks the start of “Deposits for Daffodils.” This initiative, which continues through Arbor Day, calls for bottle and can donations to be deposited for recycling. Money earned will be used to plant wildflowers.
Similarly, the proceeds from the “Know Your Oaks” contest on April 24 to 26, will be put toward converting high-maintenance areas on campus to garden spaces. The contest asks participants to guess how many acorns are in a jar. The winning participant receives a sweatshirt from the St. Bonaventure bookstore.
The Earth Month celebration will conclude on Arbor Day, April 29, with the annual tree-planting tradition and Tree Campus USA recertification at 12:30 p.m. outside Butler Hall. Hillery said he is most excited for this event, because it allows the club members to show what they stand for while getting their hands dirty.
“The more the word is spreading, kind of like the branches on a tree, people come out of the woodwork and say, ‘Oh, I heard you are doing this. I think that is great,’” said Vogel. “And sometimes even if it is just an acknowledgment, that is a step in the right direction.”
mericlje13@bonaventure.edu
