Earth Day at Alvernia University
Date: 4/22/2009Earth Day festivities included fun, entertainment, games, prizes and various exhibits
Community members of all ages were invited to attend an Earth Day celebration located on the Alvernia University campus. The event featured contests, games, speakers, and information about environmental awareness and took place outdoors on Alvernia's Campus Commons, April 22 from 12:00-5:00p.m.
Earth Day festivities included ongoing activities and games for local grade school students. Alvernia student groups had informational tables available about the campus recycling plan, the environmental impact on poverty, a recycling raffle, how to calculate your ecological footprint, and a Discovery Channel Planet Earth movie viewing.
Earth Day guest speaker Scot Case, Vice President of Terrachoice and Director of the Ecology program, was the featured speaker on “Building a Greener Future: How Colleges and Universities are leading the way.” Scot Case is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business strategy development, responsibly sourcing, green supply chains, and environmental marketing with more than 15 years of professional experience. He has delivered more than 250 keynote speeches, and full day trainings, in addition to publishing more than four-dozen articles, case studies and book chapters.
Increasing environmental awareness on campus will encourage students to get involved and educate themselves by taking part in Earth Day festivities. The Earth Day celebration highlighted ways to get involved in environmental efforts on campus, as well as other general tips and ideas.
Facts & Figures
- History: Established as a private four-year liberal arts college in 1958, Alvernia celebrated its 50th year by being awarded university status in 2008.
- Heritage: Founded by the Bernardine Sisters, a Catholic religious order, the university embraces the Franciscan core values of service, humility, collegiality, contemplation and peacemaking.
- Motto: “To Learn, To Love, To Serve”
- Campus: The main campus in Reading is 121 acres, with two satellite campuses in Philadelphia and Pottsville (Schuylkill County).
- Location: Our residential campus is situated three miles from center-city Reading, in the scenic Blue Mountain area of Eastern Pennsylvania.
- Enrollment: 2,800 students attend Alvernia including 1,420 traditional undergraduates, 600 continuing education students, and 780 graduate students. Over 77% of first-year students live on campus.
- Faculty: Among Alvernia professors, almost two-thirds hold the highest degree in their field. The student-to faculty ratio is 14:1.
- Athletics: NCAA Division III, member of the Commonwealth Conference of the Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation and member of Eastern College Athletic Conference, 8 men’s and 10 women’s intercollegiate sports.