SU Celebrates Campus Sustainability Day Wednesday, October 22
SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University celebrates this year’s Campus Sustainability Day, Wednesday, October 22, with a screening of the documentary Connected: A Film for Change 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, in Devilbiss Hall Room 123.
Presented by SU’s Smart Growth Club and the Wicomico Environmental Trust, the movie took British filmmakers Paul and Kate Maple four years to make. They traveled throughout Europe to show how ecology unites the planet and seek answers to challenges humans face in a world driven by industry and gross domestic products.
A discussion with Dr. Daniel Harris of SU’s Geography and Geosciences Department follows. Admission is free and the public is invited.
Beyond the one-day national sustainability celebration, SU continues its “green” efforts next semester, inaugurating the one-credit interdisciplinary studies course “Climate Change, Changing World.”
Through the class, faculty from across SU’s academic disciplines share their perspectives on the implications of climate disruption in the natural and social worlds. The course is scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays beginning in the spring. For more information email Dr. Mike Lewis, chair of the Environmental Studies Department, at mllewis@salisbury.edu.
SU has received several honors for its commitment to sustainability. For the fifth consecutive year, The Princeton Review has named SU among the nation’s most environmentally responsible campuses in its annual Guide to Green Colleges, first published in 2010.
Recently, Best Choice Schools, a website dedicated to providing college information for students, ranked Salisbury among the nation’s “50 Great Affordable Eco-Friendly Colleges.”
The site lauded SU’s recycling program, which diverts more than 50 percent of SU’s annual waste from landfills, as well as its energy-saving retrofits in buildings throughout campus. It also noted the abundance of students participating in organizations and initiatives including the Environmental Students Association, Smart Growth Club, Green Floor Living Learning Community and Garden Club, among others.
“SU’s commitment to the environment continues long beyond Campus Sustainability Day,” said Wayne Shelton, campus sustainability and environmental safety director.
With that in mind, his offer offered the following suggestions for taking sustainable actions, both on campus and off:
1. Bring a water bottle (instead of using plastic bottles).
2. Think before printing – is it necessary?
3. Turn off lights when out of the room.
4. Use LED light bulbs.
5. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
6. Unplug power cords when not in use.
7. Power down computers instead of leaving them on all day and night.
8. Take shorter showers.
9. Eat less meat.
10. Wash clothes in cold water.
For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU sustainability website at www.salisbury.edu/sustain.