RADFORD -- On Wednesday, the campus community gathered to celebrate Earth Day, an event observed globally each April 22. The RU festivities were sponsored by the CPC and coordinated by RU’s student-based Green Team.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni gathered on Heth Lawn as RU’s sustainability coordinator Julio Stephens presented information about a variety of environmentally friendly campus initiatives, including a move-out recycling program called Ytoss. As students move out of dorms May 5-8, they will be encouraged to donate items to the local YMCA. Volunteers will collect usable clothing, furniture, house wares and dorm items at collection points set up around campus. Those interested in volunteering for a two-hour shift should sign up online, contact the YMCA at (540) 961-9622 or gail@vtymca.org, or fill out a volunteer form (download pdf file).

Also during the Earth Day celebration, student volunteers, along with President Penelope W. Kyle, planted a tree sapling in front of Russell Hall to commemorate the day. An announcement was made that RU received the National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ membership, which recognizes those who create havens for neighborhood wildlife, and ENERGY STAR® plaques were presented for Norwood and Floyd halls. RU earned the prestigious U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star certification by installing infrared motion sensors, magnetic window contacts and other high-tech devices in two of its older residence halls. Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

(IN THE PHOTO: From left to right, Chris Pregot, Neal Thompson, Margeaux Komornik, Julio Stephens, Trevor Twyford, Yassi Farzaneh and President Kyle plant a tree as part of Earth Day at RU.)

Earth Day participants were invited to tour RU’s Greenhouse, Planetarium and The Museum of the Earth Sciences and met with representatives from a variety of campus organizations during a club fair. The celebration culminated with a 7 p.m. viewing of “The 11th Hour,” a critically acclaimed documentary that explores the perilous state of our planet and the ways in which its inhabitants can change their course.

To learn more about RU Sustainability, visit http://www.radford.edu/rugreen/.