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This April 22, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University is hosting an Earth Day celebration like no other. The four-hour event on the lawn of Brooks Shivers Dining Hall will be free, fun, educational and include food. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. a disc jockey will provide music while students visit the informational tables of community organizations and companies to learn how to reduce their environmental impact.

“This year we’ll have information on the Big Thicket and the Sierra Club,” said Alicen Flosi, director of sustainability and organizer of the Earth Day event. “We will be giving out food, planting oak trees on the lawn and we’ll hear a presentation from Schneider Electric about how ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University has improved energy efficiency and enhanced campus sustainability during the past several years." 

Free food will be distributed every hour on the hour, first come, first serve. From 11 a.m. to noon, attendees are invited to plant oak trees on the lawn. Shortly thereafter, Schneider Electric representatives will present a Savings Milestone Award to ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University officials. The award recognizes the university's strides in sustainability and energy conservation that have generated more than $20 million in energy savings.  

This Earth Day event is the largest the university has undertaken. Organizations from across campus including the Sustainability Committee, Student Services Department, Recreational Sports and the Housing Department have worked together to make the event interesting as well as entertaining and educational.

 “Students can learn about some of the places in the area they can go to get closer to nature such as parks and recreational areas. There will also be companies present to talk about sustainable products they can purchase such as recycled paper and things made out of recycled plastic,” said Flosi. “We are hoping to teach people how to close the loop; it is great to recycle but we also have to purchase items made by recycled materials if we want to make an impact.”