Campus clean-up celebrates Earth Day
More than 100 Alfred University students, staff and faculty members volunteered today with rakes, gloves, and over-sized trash bags for the University’s first campus-wide clean-up, an event intended to become an annual and local celebration of Earth Day.
More than 100 Alfred University students, staff and faculty members volunteered today with rakes, gloves, and over-sized trash bags for the University’s first campus-wide clean-up, an event intended to become an annual and local celebration of Earth Day. Under Friday’s sunny skies, volunteers celebrated the effort with a barbecue picnic hosted by the University and held between Powell Campus Center and Herrick Library.
The clean-up efforts were spearheaded by Nadine Shardlow ’86, MS ‘17 and Paul Vecchio, interim co-vice-presidents for Student Experience. After about two hours of campus-wide cleaning, Shardlow, also owner of Da Mama’s Barbecue, joined Tim Heckman, Assistant Director Capital Projects/Facilities Operations and owner of Sun Dog Barbecue, in serving low- and-slow-cooked platters of pulled pork, chicken, vegetarian options, and assorted side dishes to volunteers.
Throughout the week, organizers solicited advice from faculty, staff, and students regarding areas of the campus that had suffered from winter detritus. Volunteers showing up at Powell Campus Center were organized into teams and directed to those areas, which included the embankment below Miller Theater, side entrances to the Brick, the area surrounding Herrick Library, Miller Way near Anne’s House, and Kanakadea Creek from the Bandstand to the area where Park and Terrace Street intersect.
Today’s clean-up was organized in conjunction with Earth Day 2022, and future campus clean-ups will be scheduled annually to coincide closely with annual Earth Days. President Mark Zupan, who joined the effort Friday afternoon, notes the clean-up also is consistent with Alfred University’s curriculum, which includes the Environmental Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
In photo above: Volunteers for Friday’s campus clean-up gather outside the Powell Campus Center to get their work assignments. President Mark Zupan (center) was on hand to thank the students, staff, and faculty who participated.