This week, Elon University’s Office of Sustainability has organized "Earth Week," with events scheduled every day to involve campus in the celebration of the Earth.
Assistant Director of the Office of Sustainability Kelly Harer has had a passion for sustainability as long as she can remember. “When I was in third grade, I used to sell baked goods and use the money to go buy trees,” Harer said.
As she has only been at Elon for a year and a half, Harer has enjoyed meeting new people — students in particular — through the Earth Week events. “Something I really love about working with Elon students is you all care about things," Harer said. "So whether that’s immigration or communities of color or accessibility and disability, all of those things have connections to sustainability, and so for me, it’s really about helping people understand those connections."
Harer said she wants students to understand that sustainability extends beyond the office and is all over campus.
Sustainability expert David W. Orr agreed in his speech Tuesday. He also emphasized the connection between politics and the climate. “When you turn the thermostat on global warming up, you find out all kinds of problems,” Orr said.
Orr said our nation is at the bottom of developed nations, and according to NASA, our carbon dioxide levels are at their highest in 650,000 years. He agrees with Harer that the best way for students to act now is to get involved on campus and to participate in Earth Week events.
Other highlights from this week included outdoor yoga on Monday in Phi Beta Kappa Plaza and a Loy Farm tour on Tuesday.
On Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., there will be a “Party for the Planet” in the Colonnades neighborhood. On Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., there will be a river cleanup. To register for the cleanup, email sustainability@elon.edu.