Locally grown produce, meat-less menus and workshops on energy and the environment will help UCF students and the community promote sustainable and healthy living.
Events kick off Monday, April 18, and culminate with an on-campus field day on Earth Day, which is Friday, April 22. The 2011 Earth Day bash will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Memory Mall and will include live music, yoga and outdoor activities.
Activities are co-sponsored by UCF Landscape & Natural Resources, the Recreation and Wellness Center’s Outdoor Adventure Program, the Student Government Association’s Environment & Sustainability Program and the UCF Environmental Coalition.
Learn more at http://www.green.ucf.edu.
Other UCF ‘Earth Week’ events include:
— “Get Caught Green Handed” by UCF Dining Services. From noon to 2 p.m. throughout the week at participating locations, individuals using or buying reusable items might be “caught” by members of UCF Dining Services’ Sustainability Green Team and given a coupon to use at campus dining locations.
— Practice yoga in nature. Every Tuesday at noon, the UCF Arboretum and Recreation and Wellness Center host yoga classes at the Oak Hammock. Meet at the Nature Pavilion, off Gemini Boulevard across from parking Lot C-2, and walk together along the Nature Trails.
— The UCF Arboretum is hosting “Garden Days,” open to all students and faculty and staff members. Help maintain the UCF Organic Community Garden and take home free produce on Thursday, April 21, and Friday, April 22. Shifts begin at 8 and 10 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Show up at the Arboretum office, Trailer 525, with closed-toe shoes.
— Lend a hand and help make UCF’s campus safer, cleaner and healthier. The fourth-annual “Campus Clean-Up” will be held Thursday, April 21. Interested participants should meet in front of the Student Union at 1 p.m.
— UCF will host a Community Summit on the Environment from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in Cape Florida Ballroom, Room 316, in the Student Union. Local and international leaders will discuss topics such as ecology, health and ethics. The keynote speaker will be William Powers, a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute.
— On Earth Day, the Marketplace and Knightro’s dining halls will have entirely meatless menus, with the exception of chicken made-to-order at the grill. The Marketplace, located in Ferrell Commons, will be open Friday from 7:30 a.m. to midnight. Knightro’s, located next to the UCF Arena, will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.