Campus Earth Day Activities April 18-22

VALDOSTA -- Valdosta State University will celebrate the Earth with a week of events dedicated to preserving the environment. Blazer Dining, operated by Sodexo Campus Services, and Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.) will host a range of activities to encourage the VSU community to conserve, recycle and sustain during the 41st annual Earth Day celebration observed throughout the world on April 22.

Blazer Dining’s Think Green Week

On Monday, April 18, Palms and Hopper Dining Centers will kick off Sodexo’s Think Green Week with local and organic produce. Eating the fruits of the local workforce supports the region’s economy and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere because producers travel shorter distances to supply food to consumers.

Throughout the week, Blazer Dining will sell recyclable mugs at the sale price of $1.99 (normally $5.99) with the first fountain drink fill-up for free. Eliminate the need for disposable cups by purchasing one of these mugs, which are available at Subconnection, Sky Ranch Grill, Moe’s, Quiznos, Nathan’s and Sustella Market. Refills cost 79 cents at participating locations.

From 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., on Tuesday, April 19, Palms Dining Center will host “Lights Out at Lunch” to demonstrate how much energy can be saved by cutting off the lights for a few hours. The average light bulb expends 60 watts of energy per hour, which means that turning off one light bulb for an hour conserves about 22,000 watts (enough energy to power a television for one month).

Blazer Dining’s resident facilities -- Palms and Hopper Dining Centers -- will “Weigh the Waste” at the end of the day on Wednesday, April 20, to display the amount of waste produced at the eateries after one day of operation. Patrons should consider selecting one entrée at a time to reduce the amount of food they throw away.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to join Blazer Dining at the Valdosta Soup Kitchen to provide lunch from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the facility located at 601 North Lee St. This local effort is part of Sodexo Servathon, a month-long program that encourages employees to fight hunger in their communities and to promote awareness of the many families that struggle to put food on the table.

On Friday, April 22, Palms and Hopper Dining Centers will offer peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead of a meat-based lunch to reduce dioxide emissions. According to Sodexo, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich can save 133 gallons of water and 24 square feet of land (compared to the overall cost to produce a burger). Each sandwich served will save 2.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, call Blazer Dining Marketing Director, Jenna Maroney, at 333-7146 or e-mail her at Jennifer.gilbert@sodexo.com.

S.A.V.E Earth Day Celebration

S.A.V.E will host its annual Earth Day Festival from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, April 22, at Drexel Park, located at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Patterson Street. Come enjoy live music, food with vegetarian and vegan options, activities for all ages, and guest speakers. The event will focus on educating the community about ways to make Valdosta a more sustainable city.

For more information, call S.A.V.E president Erin Hurley at 770-605-5211 or e-mail her at ephurley@valdosta.edu.