The University of Memphis’ Office for Sustainability and the student organization, UMpact, have invited studesnts to the first Sustainability Symposium.
The come-and-go event takes place on Thursday, April 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. and is open to anyone.
Students can get volunteer credit for visiting the symposium.
“Our aim is to connect students to their local community and to show them how they can get involved,” said Laurel Cannito, the student organizer at the Office for Sustainability.
A total of 17 community organizations, including Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Grow Memphis and Cooperative Memphis, will be working at the symposium and giving short presentations.
There will also be two workshops open for participation. First, the Progressive Student Association and the United Campus Workers will answer the question “Is our university for sale?” from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Second, Grow Memphis will talk about seed saving from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
“I think students are not aware that sustainability applies to all the fields in their lives,” Cannito said. “Sustainability is not its own thing. It is a balance of community, economy and environment in all fields of work and study.”
Not only can interested students find out how to engage in taking care of their local environment, but they also can present their own green ideas.
From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. anyone can give a short presentation and find out how to apply for the green fund of the U of M. Cannito, who studies urban sustainability at the U of M, planned the event together with UMpact.
This student organization came into being only one year ago.
“Many years ago there was the Environmental Action Coalition at the U of M,” Cannito said. “These students protested to have an Office for Sustainability on campus. But when they graduated, there was no green student organization for a while.”
UMpact’s biggest project so far is the food recovery network, where they compost biological trash and give unused food to people in need.
The symposium’s sister event, the Earth Day, will take place on April 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The TIGUrS Urban Garden has prepared a diverse program, including a Yoga and Zumba class, a butterfly release and performances from Aaron Brock and the Bluff City Soul Collective.
The Earth Day also serves the purpose of raising students’ environmental awareness.
