DANBURY, Connecticut — Western Connecticut State University will celebrate Earth Day with a variety of public events on Monday, April 22, 2024. Events will be held at both the Ruth A. Haas Library, WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury, and the Robert S. Young Library located in the Westside Classroom Building on the WCSU Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. The dinner and movie at 5 p.m. require a fee and reservation at https://wcsutickets.regfox.com/celebrate-earth-day-with-the-wcsu-libraries. The rest of the activities are free.
Planned events include:
All day – Food Pantry Donations
Support the WCSU food pantry by bringing shelf-table items to the libraries. For each item you bring, you’ll receive one ticket to enter a drawing to win four tickets to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus, and Young Library, Westside campus.
All day – Seed Balls
Create seed balls to toss in your garden. Using a bit of clay, some dirt, a pinch of compost starter, and a packet of wildflower seeds, create a couple of seed balls to help our local pollinators out this year. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus, and Young Library, Westside campus.
All day – Up-Cycled Origami
Create some beautiful origami flowers and animals using paper we’ve recycled from discarded books. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus, and Young Library, Westside campus.
9 to 11 a.m. – Electronics Recycling. Organized by Property Management.
Drop off your used electronics for recycling. For each electronic item you drop off, you’ll receive one ticket to enter a drawing to win four tickets to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. For a list of allowed and disallowed items, visit https://libguides.wcsu.edu/ld.php?content_id=76123681. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus, and Young Library, Westside campus.
9 to 11 a.m. – Plant Swap. Organized by Rainy Day Paperback Exchange.
Come pick up a plant and maybe a mystery read. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus.
10 to 11 a.m. – Flower Planting with President Singh.
Join President Singh outside of Berkshire Hall for a flower planting program! Location: Quad in front of Berkshire Hall, Midtown campus.
11 a.m. to noon – “Climate Science – How we will survive on a warming planet” presented by Professor of Biology Dr. Mitch Wagener. “Humans are part of nature, organisms within ecosystems. When extreme events occur in nature, they affect us, along with moose, flying squirrels, and all the rest. Enough information is available for us to begin to understand these things. Acceptance, understanding, concern, and finally action are the steps towards addressing the problems we have. I believe that we must clean up our own messes, just as our parents told us to do. I believe that our grandchildren have the right to a livable future.” Location: Haas Library, 1st floor, Midtown campus.
Noon to 2 p.m. – Permaculture Garden Tours. Hosted by Roots & Shoots.
Did you know we have a Permaculture Garden on the Midtown campus? The mission is to reconnect our community with the land, understand where our food comes from and how it gets to our plates, and learn about healthy and humane eating. Location: Meet at Haas Library and walk over to Science Building, Midtown campus.
2 to 3 p.m. – “Jane Goodall Center” with Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Hannah Reynolds, who will speak about the work of the Jane Goodall Center, the Permaculture Garden, and challenges facing home gardeners. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus.
3 to 5 p.m. – Seedling Kit Giveaway. Hosted by Roots & Shoots. Location: Haas Library, Midtown campus.
5 to 7 p.m. – Dinner – Sustainably sourced meal by Sodexo. Join us in the newly renovated Berkshire Dining Hall for a special Earth Day dinner prepared by our campus food service, complete with “dirt cups” for dessert. Location: Berkshire Dining Hall, Midtown campus. Cost: $11.50 for faculty, staff and community; WCSU students are free. Price includes documentary viewing. Registration is required at https://wcsutickets.regfox.com/celebrate-earth-day-with-the-wcsu-libraries.
5 to 7 p.m. – Documentary – “Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science.” “In recent years climate science has come under increasing attack, so concerned geologist Simon Lamb grabbed his camera and set out to explore the inside story of climate research. For over three years he followed scientists from a wide range of disciplines at work in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe and the United States. They talk about their work, their hopes and fears with a rare candor and directness, resulting in an intimate portrait of the global community of researchers racing to understand our planet’s changing climate and provide a compelling case for rising CO2 as the main cause.” Visit thiniceclimate.org to learn more about the film and the efforts to fund its creation. Location: Berkshire Dining Hall, Midtown campus. Registration is required at https://wcsutickets.regfox.com/celebrate-earth-day-with-the-wcsu-libraries.
5 to 7 p.m. – Climate Discussion – “Tesla won’t fix climate change” with Associate Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Manoj Misra. Location: Berkshire Dining Hall, Midtown campus.
For more information, visit https://libguides.wcsu.edu/earthday24 or contact WCSU Communications and Marketing at pr@wcsu.edu.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.