Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Students for Sustainability Club has organized several events for April 24 in celebration of Earth Day.
For this third annual Earth Day celebration organized by the club, events will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Oak Grove on the Indiana campus, including informational tables and displays. All events are free and open to the community.
“Our Earth Day event centers on connecting students to clubs and community organizations with a sustainability, environmental, equity, and or community service focus,” Students for Sustainability Club President Samantha Ryan said.
“We will be offering raffle tickets to students that interact with five different campus or community organizations.”
Faculty and community lectures also are planned for the day in the Oak Grove.
Presentations include:
-
At 10:30 a.m., Dana Driscoll, professor in IUP’s Department of Language, Literature, and Writing and herbalism and wild food instructor with the Pennsylvania School of Herbalism, will present “Spring Foraging as a Sustainable Practice: Plant Walk and Cooking Demonstration.” The workshop will show participants how to identify abundant spring greens (garlic mustard, dandelion, chickweed, and more) and how to forage these sustainably, ethically, and safely. After a short foraging excursion on campus, participants will learn how to prepare spring greens with a hands-on cooking demonstration.
-
At 1:00 p.m., Sara King, president of the Friends of Whites Woods organization, will offer remarks on federal-level action toward timbering the remaining old growth, particularly in west coast national forests, including Alaska (the Tongass).
-
At 2:30 p.m., Garrett Milnes from Indiana Borough Council will discuss politics and sustainability.
New this year is an “upcycle” T-shirt printing station. Students for Sustainability are working with the IUP Graphic Design Student Association to offer a design for printing on clothing; it is free for any clothing brought to the event.
From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Navigators, IUP staff members who are part of IUP’s Student Success Infrastructure, will offer an opportunity for people to decorate pots and to pot succulent plants, as supplies last. The potting station will be on the Fisher patio on the Oak Grove under the “University College” tent.
IUP’s Students for Sustainability includes 85 members, and the group meets weekly. Ellen Yerger, a faculty member in the Department of Biology, is the club’s faculty advisor.
This group has been active on campus, including leading recycling efforts of cardboard, plastic, and aluminum in IUP’s John and Char Kopchick Hall and transporting materials to the Indiana County Recycling Center. This recycling project is now part of established university work processes.
The Students for Sustainability also organize a variety of programs throughout the year, including hosting speakers; webinars on topics related to sustainability, such as careers in conservation and preservation; an annual Sustainability Summit; helping in the community to remove invasive plant species in public areas; working in the Indiana Community Garden; and volunteering with the IUP Allegheny Arboretum, including at the university’s Fern Hollow site.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.