KOKOMO, Ind. — Plant a tree. Make a birdfeeder. Save the earth.
Get your hands dirty while learning more about what you can do to create a cleaner environment, at Indiana University Kokomo’s annual Sustainability Week, set for April 11 to 15.
“The overarching idea is that we should leave the earth better than we found it,” said Andy Tuholski, director of the Office of Sustainability and visiting lecturer in political science. “In order to have a healthy community, we need to utilize our resources in a healthy, sustainable way. We’re highlighting this for our students, faculty, staff, and community through a week of exploring aspects of conservation.”
The week includes giveaways of environmental posters, along with herbs grown in the campus greenhouse by students. There will also be speakers on topics including youth involvement in sustainability, and corporate responsibility for sustainable industry.
Fine arts students are painting rain barrels, which those attending may vote on Thursday in Alumni Hall.
For those who want to get hands on, there is a bird house building activity plus a chance to help plant 10 trees, including legacy maple, blackgum, and serviceberry, to add to the campus tree canopy.
“We’re providing a number of ways to get involved,” Tuholski said. “There should be something for everyone. If you want to sit and be an active listener, we have a variety of topics covered, with exciting voices to talk about them. If you want to take home some herbs, or build a bird feeder, or literally get your hands dirty planting trees, we’re going to have those things available. If you want to see what your fellow students are doing in creating sustainable works of art, we have that, too.
“There are things you can learn and implement right now to make a difference for our environment,” he added.
Activities include:
Monday, April 11
- Herb giveaway, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kelley Student Center Commons
- Corporate sustainability efforts presentation, 11:30 a.m. on Zoom. Hear from a representative of Stellantis about sustainability in manufacturing. Register at go.iu.edu/4lt7
- Environmental poster giveaway, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Kelley Student Center Commons
- “Artificial intelligence, Finance and the UN Sustainability Development Goals: Mobilizing Markets for Real-World Impact,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom. Presented by Patrick Wood Uribe, CEO at Util. The FinTech startup uses machine learning to map and measure the positive and negative impacts of every listed company in the world on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and 2,000 further sustainability themes. Register at go.iu.edu/4lt9
Tuesday, April 12
- Create a bird feeder, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Campus Quad.
- “A World on Fire: The Youth-Led Rise of the Green New Deal,” 1 p.m., Kelley Student Center, Room 130. Presentation by Garrett Blad, civic engagement director at Act Indiana.
Wednesday, April 13
- Tree planting, 10 a.m. to noon, meet at the Observatory
- Environmental poster giveaway, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Kelley Student Center Commons.
- “Youth and Sustainability,” 2:20 p.m., on Zoom. Presentation by Avalon Jade Theisen, from Project Green Schools. Register at go.iu.edu/4lth.
Thursday, April 14
- Rain barrel art contest voting, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Alumni Hall.
Friday, April 15
- Follow @sustainIU for recommended actions
Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.