Niagara University plans series of events to celebrate Earth Day 2015

Niagara University will hold a series of events to increase awareness, appreciation, protection and conservation of the natural environment in observance of Earth Day 2015.

Sponsored by the university's sustainability committee, NU has scheduled a variety of "green" activities and demonstrations, listed below, including the official opening of Niagara's new tree-lined primary entranceway via Witmer Road.

Wednesday, April 22

•An eco-fair will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Gallagher Center to inform individuals on ways to get involved and promote local businesses as a means of bringing the community together in a sustainable way.

•Information regarding the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment will be shared during the sustainability committee's meeting at 12:20 p.m. in the Gallagher Center, Room 110. NU signed the agreement, formalizing the university's plan to eliminate the campus' net emissions of greenhouse gases, in November 2012. Niagara University's goal for this commitment is to become carbon neutral by the year 2050.

•A panel discussion titled "Sustainability is Not an Island: What We Can Learn About Going Green from Different Economies and Efforts" will be held at 4 p.m. in the Golisano Center, Room 101. Panelists will discuss how to begin sustainable change and improvements in communities.

•All day, students are invited to participate in a geocaching activity that challenges them to piece together clues on the way toward winning an NU water bottle.

Thursday, April 23

•NU students will present sustainable experiments during an event in the Gallagher Center's multipurpose room, scheduled for 8:10-9:30 a.m.

•At 9:40 a.m. in the Gallagher Center's multipurpose room, students will offer presentations on environmentally sustainable business practices.

•A celebration to formally unveil the university's reconfigured Witmer Road entrance will commence at 10:30 a.m. The project was completed last fall as part of the shared campus initiative between the New York Power Authority and Niagara University, which also created a shared-use bike path across the back of campus.

Friday, April 24

•To commemorate Arbor Day, a tree will be planted near Seton Hall at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 25

•Niagara University is encouraging people to attend NYPA's annual "Every Day is Earth Day" event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Niagara Power Vista.

NU was one of only two area colleges to be included in The Princeton Review's Guide to 332 Green Colleges, which was released Thursday and profiled institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Canada that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.

Last summer, the United States Green Building Council bestowed a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification - Gold Rating on NU's B. Thomas Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences.

For more information on Earth Day at Niagara University and the university's ongoing sustainability initiatives, visit www.niagara.edu/green.