Earth Day at Lehman College
Sustainability Events at Lehman College
Sustainability events at Lehman College, over the past two years, have established a tradition of student conceived, planned and executed event. The student members of the Campus Sustainability Council in conjunction with the members of the Student Environmental Club review proposal s submitted by students and provide financial and manpower assistance in the execution of the event.
Campus Sustainability Day 2010, the students’ event titled “Mount Trashmore”, collected one entire day’s trash created on campus and placed it in a pile on the plaza in front of the Music Building with a sign that read:
“How much trash do you think 12,000 college students — plus faculty and staff — produce in one day? Turns out it's about a ton.”
The pile clearly illustrated and made a very powerful statement about how much is disposed of in a 24 hour period.
Earth Day Spring 2010 the students’ well attended event titled “Water: Thinking Outside of the Bottle” focused on drinking water. There was a film screening of the movie “Flow” (now available in the Library) Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis and a presentation by Mr. Cutietta-Olson of Watershed Water Quality Operations, NYC Department of Environmental Protection discussing New York City’s water quality A sustainable boxed meal was served and reusable water bottles given away.
On Earth Day 2010, CUNY announced the winner of the CUNY sustainable short contest, Professor David Schwittek, an adjunct in Lehman’s Art Department.
Earth Day Spring 2011, since Earth Day fell during spring break, Lehman Students planned a series of events to occur prior to Earth Day. The first event titled “Bringing Home Nature: Pot Your Own Herbs and Composting Workshop”; the second event titled “Home” was a screening of the film “Home” about the biodiversity of the planet; the third and final event was a screening of the award winning film “Gasland” the film examines the controversial gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing – widely known as “fracking”-that is being debated in New York State. The event included a discussion with geologist John H. Williams, the Groundwater Specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Center in New York along with a sustainable boxed meal.
Last modified: Oct 13, 2011
