PSU celebrates Earth Day with full week of activities

PLYMOUTH — The Office of Environmental Sustainability at Plymouth State University and its student environmental clubs are hosting a variety of virtual and in-person activities to celebrate Earth Day (April 22). These activities will highlight the University’s commitment to sustainability and will engage students with sustainable living habits.

The events kicked-off on Saturday, April 17, when students from the Geography and Environmental Planning Club teamed up with the Plymouth Conservation Committee to repair broken wooden hiking trail footbridges in the Walter-Newton Natural Area.

“So much of this infrastructure relies on volunteer work, and it is very important we remember to give back to those who work so hard for us to enjoy nature this way,” says Club President Clayton Titus, a PSU senior. “Every week is Earth Week, or it should be.”

Throughout the entire week, the OES is sharing ‘sustainable living tips’ each day on its Instagram and Facebook pages (@SustainablePSU). On Earth Day, Brian Eisenhauer, Ph.D., director of the OES, will host a Zoom session and Q&A at 1 p.m. on “Sustainability at Plymouth State University on Earth Day 2021: Progress and Aspirations.” The session will highlight the benefits solar power has brought to PSU, the University’s biomass and geothermal systems, and the next steps to come for sustainability at PSU.

One initiative recently launched by the University to expand its impact on sustainability and climate change on a global scale was the introduction of a climate studies bachelor’s degree program. This program helps address the need for trained professionals for private industry and government jobs working in various aspects of the climate crisis. The program is the first of its kind in New Hampshire and one of very few in the country.

The University also recently added a solar array on top of its Physical Education (PE) Center and added electric vehicle charging stations around campus, which are free to use. The solar array will offset more than 90 percent of the PE Center’s annual electricity consumption and will help PSU move closer to its goal of achieving carbon net neutrality for institutional electricity consumption by 2030.