Campus Life

Penn State Behrend to celebrate Earth Day anniversary with Sustainability Series

Series to culminate with 50th anniversary celebration of holiday

ERIE, Pa. — Created in April 1970, Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection. At Penn State Behrend, this year’s celebration will last for much longer than just one day.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the holiday, the college has created the Sustainability Series, a new, yearlong series of events, which will culminate with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020.

“Penn State is working to implement the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals across the commonwealth, and this series is a great example of that,” said Sherri “Sam” Mason, sustainability coordinator at the college. “We want the Sustainability Series to raise awareness of the breadth of topics covered under the umbrella of sustainability: from ending poverty and hunger, to gender and racial equality, to environmental protection.”

As part of the series, the college will host several events that relate directly to sustainability. For instance, one of the first events, this Saturday, Sept. 14, will showcase a dozen or so electric vehicles, with the owners on hand to answer people’s questions about how to go fossil-fuel-free. In late September, the college will participate in the International Coastal Cleanup, an annual volunteer event that is part of a worldwide program to clean and protect oceans and water sources. In November, the college will host the Behrend County Fair, a fair-themed event designed to encourage discussions about agriculture and food systems in Erie and the surrounding region.

Biweekly movie nights also will be held throughout the year, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 10. All film showings will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Bruno’s Café, located in the college’s Reed Union Building. The viewings are free and open to the public.

The fall film schedule is as follows:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 10: “Eating Up Easter”
  • Tuesday, Sept. 24: “Albatross”
  • Tuesday, Oct. 8: “Biggest Little Farm”
  • Tuesday, Oct. 22: “Wall-E”
  • Tuesday, Nov. 5: “The Lorax”
  • Tuesday, Nov. 19: “The True Cost”

A full schedule of events for the Sustainability Series is available on the Sustainability at Penn State Behrend webpage. The website will continue to be updated throughout the year as new events are added.

The Sustainability Series is an outreach program of the Office of Sustainability at Penn State Behrend. For more information on the series, contact Mason at sam7201@psu.edu.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the holiday, Penn State Behrend has created the Sustainability Series, a new, year-long series of events, which will culminate with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020. Credit: Penn State Behrend / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated September 10, 2019

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