Pace Paw Print

April is Earth month at Pace University. With so many problems going on right now with the environment, Pace University's Environmental Center and student organization NATURE is trying to spread the word around campus to let students, staff and faculty become aware of what is going on and what they can do to help improve their surroundings.

The purpose of Earth Month is to spread awareness not only on campus, but also in the Pace community. Beginning April 2, there are special events and activities planned almost every day to promote environmental awareness. Professor Angelo Spillo and the environmental team have prepared many educational events where students, staff, and the people of the community can participate in and celebrate planet Earth. Many activities, if not all, are designed to teach about the beauty of nature and the importance of the environment. Many are unaware of the dangers that are threatening planet earth. Others might know, or have no idea, how they can help. It is important to protect nature and its species. As the weather is getting warmer, there is no better way to kick off spring than by becoming more aware of the ecosystem and helping to improve it.

The activities in relation to nature and the environment are designed to be educational and hands on, and many of the events are planned where there are speakers from both outside and inside of the Pace community. Earth Month kicked off with the first event on April 2, How Good Is Your Bottled Water? The audience had a chance to speak out and voice their opinions on bottled water. Is it better than tap water, or is there no difference? Dr. William Flank was there to provide some interesting insights about the quality of bottled water and related environmental issues, and the audience was able to find out the fun facts on everyday water. The day continued with Native American Stories with Teeth in the afternoon. Evan Pritchard, author of "Nature American Stories of the Sacred" and "Native New Yorkers" presented Native American Animal Teaching Tales with a Bite. The stories are told with a cedar flute and a Mi'Kmaq drum. The performance included a character's teeth and an environment sound bite.

Some other activities include movie nights. Movie showcases include Erin Brokovich, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, and The Lorax. How is Erin Brockovich related to the environment? NATURE informed their audience on the issue of water pollution through the movie. All movie nights will be hosted at the White Cottage. Fern Gully showed on April 8 and some important issues were mentioned, like how important the rainforest is to the environment. The Lorax, (April 24 at 9pm) is a movie from the Dr. Seuss book about a ruined industrialist who tells the tale of his environmentally self destructive greed despite the warnings of an old forest creature. All these movie nights are open to the community, free of charge, and will serve refreshments.

Although movie nights are informing, nothing quite compares to the live and hands on activities. The Wolf still Wanders, an event where a live wolf is involved. Atka one of the Arctic wolves from the Wolf Conservation Center will be at Pace University in the Willcox Gym at 7pm on April 9 for 'The Wolf still Wanders' event. How often are live wolves found on campus? Not very, so take this opportunity to learn about how these mammals are not the monsters that most think they are.

On April 11 at noon, the members of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the members of Alpha Lambda Sigma (ALS) will be leading a campus wide clean up event. All are welcome to make Pace a cleaner and healthier environment.

The Campus Interpretive Nature Walk on April 17 from 11am to noon which allows people to discover many rare items such as Red Tail Hawk nesting sights, and massive 150-year-old white pines right here on campus. Walk with James Eyring, Assistant Director of the Environmental Center, and learn about the natural wonders that are on campus and how they are sometimes taken for granted.

"Breakfast with the Birds" takes place on April 23 with coffee and bagels from 7 to 7:30am and is followed by a walk through Rockefeller State Park Preserve from 7:30 to 9am to see birds in their natural habitats. Towards the end of the month there is an Annual Tree Planting on April 28 at 12:30pm at the Pace Environmental Center. The Pace Community is invited to help plant a large spruce tree for this year's annual tree planting during Earth Month. Get those hands dirty and win a fun giveaway gift. This tree event is co-sponsored by Pace Environmental Center, Pace Academy for the Environment, and the Center for Academic Excellence, and NATURE.

There are many fun activities to attend where everyone is able to learn something new. The environment is very important to the Pace community and the campus, because it is not only home to many, but also the home to many different species. "Earth Month" is a project that evolved from Earth Day.

"Five years ago my thought was to extend the philosophy of Earth Day so many more people could find time to participate. For me, what makes this project unique and interesting is that it involves so many volunteers from all disciplines within the Pace community. There are not many other causes I know of that connect so many," said Spillo. For more information on these events and how to get involved, contact Professor Spillo at the environmental center, he can also be reached at (914) 773- 3789.

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