DANBURY, Connecticut —Western Connecticut State University will celebrate Earth Day with a variety of public events on Monday, April 22. 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.
11 a.m. to noon – “Climate Science – How we will survive on a warming planet” presented by Professor of Biology Dr. Mitch Wagener.
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.”
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.