USM hosted several events surrounding the environment and sustainability last week, leading up to Earth Day on Friday.
From a bike safety and tire check to a full moon hike, to seed planting, students were kept busy participating in environmentally friendly activities while also learning new tips on ways to do their part in keeping the planet healthy. Events were held Monday through Friday on both the Portland and Gorham campuses.
Tyler Kidder, assistant director of sustainable programs for facilities management, coordinated the week of events called Earth Week. For the last two years Kidder served as the sustainability coordinator for dining services at USM, this year transitioning to her current position as assistant director of sustainable programs.
“One of my tasks was to celebrate Earth Week this year, which hadn’t really happened last year,” Kidder said. “Nobody had really been in charge of USM’s Earth Week.” Kidder had previously used to organize Earth Day events during her years with dining services.
“I had some ideas of student organizations that might want to get involved and who to contact, so basically this year I just loosely coordinated other peoples’ events for Earth Week and threw in a couple of my own,” she said
Kidder rallied several groups on campus for the green festivities. She planned the bike safety and tire check and she said other groups involved had plans of their own that she then helped promote.
The full moon hike on Monday was organized by the Southern Maine Outdoor Rec Program through the Sullivan Recreation and Fitness Complex, while the environmental health presentation and film on Thursday was an event arranged by the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
Kidder said she sent out calls in March for Earth Week ideas. She said that this year’s events were meant to appeal to students with varying interests. “People came up with what was important to them,” she said.
Although there were many USM groups planning events, Kidder said that spreading the word about Earth Week was difficult. She said only four students showed up to the bike event on Monday.
“Communication can be a challenge and people pick and choose what they can attend,” said Kidder. She also said that she hopes to build more of an Earth Week tradition on campus in years to come by assembling more environmental awareness programs not just in April, but throughout the academic year.