Pitt Students Present Campus ‘Go Green’ Initiatives at The 5th Annual Student Sustainability Symposium April 13

Today’s students understand that a greener campus requires more than turning off lights and recycling; it takes a significant effort to reduce a university’s environmental footprint. To that end, Pitt students will present projects focused on greening Pitt’s campus at the 5th Annual Student Sustainability Symposium, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 13 in the William Pitt Union Ballroom.

The Student Sustainability Symposium will feature such student-led projects as a campuswide recycling competition in residence halls, the “greening” of Pitt athletic events, and a sustainable food education program. Hosted by the Environmental Studies Program in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the symposium was initiated in 2007 by students and professors from Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, and Duquesne universities in response to the Rachel Carson Homestead Association’s Legacy Challenge.

Sign-in and registration will take place from 8:30 to 9 a.m. At this time, a “Sustain-A-Bowl” will be open to participants, featuring student poster sessions and environmental education booths built by Pitt student groups. Tables also will feature the work of such community environmental organizations as Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), PennFuture, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and TreePittsburgh.

Following opening remarks by Mark Collins, lecturer and environmental studies coordinator in Pitt’s Department of Geology and Planetary Science, Pittsburgh councilman Bill Peduto (District 8) will deliver the keynote address. Also part of the day’s events will be a series of student presentations and a panel featuring Pitt staff members talking about campus green initiatives.

The afternoon sessions include an Eco Jobs Panel with professionals from the Pittsburgh sustainability community. Featured panelists are Patricia Demarco, director of the Rachel Carson Institute, Chatham University; Barbara Kviz, environmental coordinator, Carnegie Mellon University; Douglas Shields, former Pittsburgh City Council president; and Christie Lawry, education specialist, Phipps Conservatory.

The symposium will conclude with a Q&A forum titled “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Lunch will be provided by Sodexo and Oakland-area restaurants. For more information and to register for the conference, contact Ward Allebach at allebach@consolidated.net or 412-606-9075; walk-in registrations will be accepted.