UMaine announces Earth Day activities
Contact: Misa Saros, UMaine sustainability coordinator, (207) 581-1571; Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777
ORONO, Maine – With its pledge to create a greener campus at an all-time high, the University of Maine has several events planned for this year’s Earth Day celebration.
Held each year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
Highlighting UMaine’s daylong schedule of activities are two presentations by Dr. Daniel G. Nocera, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Nocera is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. at the St. John Hill Auditorium at UMaine’s Engineering & Science Research Building. The afternoon discussion is titled “Personalized Energy: A Carbon-Neutral Energy Supply for 1 (x 6 Billion).”
Nocera’s second presentation, “Powering the Planet: The Challenge for Science in the 21st Century,” is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in room 316 of UMaine’s Aubert Hall.
Earth Day at UMaine officially kicks off at noon with opening remarks in Memorial Union’s Bangor Room. At 12:15 p.m., Maine State Climatologist and UMaine Professor Emeritus George Jacobson will discuss a report that was submitted to Gov. John Baldacci regarding the state’s future in the context of changing climate during the 21st Century. Jacobson is a professor in UMaine’s School of Biology and the Climate Change Institute.
Following a short break, the events will continue with a presentation by Christopher Straka, president of Ascendant Energy of Rockland. His company is in the process of fabricating a solar energy system that will be installed on the rooftop of the university’s Wells Commons.
From noon to 4 p.m. a wide variety of energy conscious groups from across campus will be on hand to represent and discuss the goals of their organizations, the Bookstore will offer a 20 percent discount on all of its environmentally friendly products, and Organic Fair Trade Coffee, available at all campus dining locations, will be on sale for $1 for a 12-ounce cup.
There also will be presentations throughout the day in both the Bumps Room and the Coe Room at Memorial Union, and anyone who attends a session between noon and 4 p.m. and submits two suggestions for a greener UMaine will be entered to win a Cayuga 110 Kayak that’s made from 100 percent recycled plastic. The kayak was donated by Johnson Outdoors/Old Town Canoe. The winner will be notified on April 23.
For a complete schedule of events, visit www.sustainability.umaine.edu.