URI hosts series of events on environment

Celebrate Earth Day all month with lectures, films, festival

Todd McLeish

The University of Rhode Island will celebrate Earth Day throughout the month of April with a series of events and activities for students and the general public, sponsored by the URI Office of Sustainability and various student organizations on campus.

All of the following events are free and open to the public:

TONIGHT, April 5 at 5 p.m. – A screening of the documentary A Plastic Ocean, which explores the fragile state of the world’s oceans, followed by a panel discussion about plastics pollution. In the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 140 Flagg Road, Room 100. Sponsored by the URI Coastal Society.

April 12 at 5 p.m. – Building a Foundation for South County Families – Alicia Johnson, volunteer and family services coordinator for South County Habitat for Humanity, and Habitat’s director of operations, Jay Schartenberg, will discuss the process and opportunities for sustainable home building and ownership in Rhode Island. Avedisian Hall (Pharmacy Bldg.), 7 Greenhouse Road, Room 170. Sponsored by the URI Office of Sustainability.

April 18 at 4:30 p.m. – The Naked Truth about Clothes – Model and sustainability strategist Summer Rayne Oakes will share her experience in the world of fashion, how clothing affects the environment and the people who make it, and how consumers can shape the future of what we wear. Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road. Sponsored by the URI Office of Sustainability.

April 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Earth Day on the Quad, a festival of educational exhibits and activities about environmental topics from a diverse array of environmental organizations. Event includes planting and dedication of a magnolia tree behind Quinn Hall, 55 Lower College Road, at 12:30 p.m. URI Quadrangle (Rain site: Multicultural Student Services Center). Sponsored by URI Student Action for Sustainability and URI Office of Sustainability.

April 26 at 6 p.m. – A screening of the documentary Chasing Coral, in which a team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on an adventure to document the disappearance of the world’s coral reefs. Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 140 Flagg Road. Sponsored by the URI Marine Science Society.

For more information about these events, contact Amy Cabaniss in the URI Office of Sustainability at amy_cabaniss@uri.edu.