NIAGARA COLLEGE
Earth Week to bring College community closer to nature

Connecting with nature and protecting the planet will be the focus of Niagara College's first Earth Week celebration April 17-25.

Hosted by NC's Office of Sustainability, a roster of virtual initiatives will take place leading up to Earth Day on April 22 and beyond. Earth Week aims to provide an outlet for the College community to participate in sustainability-focused initiatives safely during the pandemic - in their own backyards and neighbourhoods, individually or with their families or roommates.

"At Niagara College, we strive to build a more sustainable future. It has never been more important to protect our natural habitat and reduce our carbon footprint as we take action to address climate change and help restore the health of our Earth," said College president Sean Kennedy. "While we can't gather in person at this time, I encourage our entire College community to get involved with Earth Week and demonstrate that we can make a difference #NCTogether."

NC's sustainability program and outreach coordinator Amber Schmucker noted that the initiatives are all about bringing the NC community closer to nature for the benefit of the planet, as well as the humans who inhabit it.

"With the ongoing pandemic and stresses at the end-of-term, we know that people are struggling with their mental health right now and our goal is to provide an extra push for our College community to connect with the land," said Schmucker. "Being able to personally connect with nature makes you want to protect it - and the earth is precious, it needs protecting."

With climate action and restoring the planet at the root of every sustainability initiative at the College, Schmucker acknowledges that a single cleanup or bioblitz won't save the world. However, she hopes that getting involved with Earth Week will create a "spider web effect" among participants, leading to spin-off actions.

Read the complete press release