Though the College is committed year-round to improving sustainability and educating community members about environmental stewardship (which, in fact, is the mission of the Committee for Environmental Responsibility), there were several events on campus on Friday at which Fords could demonstrate their commitment to the environment on the 31st annual Earth Day. Horticulturalist Mike Startup gave a reading of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, an environmental fable that chronicles the plight of the Lorax, who speaks for the trees and against the greedy Once-ler, on Founder’s porch. The College’s technology recycling vendor, Capitol Asset Recovery, brought a truck to campus to collect electronics for secure destruction and zero-landfill disposal. And volunteers assisted Arboretum staff in planting native perennials in the meadow above the Duck Pond, a program that not only beautifies the campus by adding 800 new wildflowers, but also uses less energy to maintain (e.g., doesn’t have to be mowed) and provides protection and food for birds and small animals.
It was a gray, cool day, but that didn’t stop students, like Valerie Snow ’14, Caya Simonsen ’14 and Chris Chasin ’11 (pictured below), from coming out and getting their hands dirty. Though the small plants don’t look like much now, Plant Curator Martha Van Artsdalen assured us that meadows mature in mid-summer, so this field will be in bloom before we know it.
Celebrating Earth Day
The campus commemorated Earth Day with several events, including a native perennial planting in the meadow above the Duck Pond.
