Earth Day is April 22 and Montgomery County Community College is doing its part to celebrate and protect the planet, by hosting a series of virtual presentations promoting sustainability and Earth-friendly practices.

A live online event will be held Thursday, April 22 from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom. The event will include three presentations: "Mobility Planning During COVID-19 and Beyond" featuring Stacey Weiss, Greater Valley Forge Transportation Demand Management Association – TDM Manager; a presentation about the Tree Nursery/Health Science Center Rain Garden, featuring Phil Capinski, Supervisor of Grounds; and “Sustainable Community Engagement” with Heather Schmidt, Spillman Farmer.

The online event is free and open to the community.

“It’s all good information for folks since we’ve been disconnected for the past year,” said Linda Pileggi, Information Services Specialist, who is co-organizing Earth Day activities with Angela Cavaliere, Manager of Digital Usability.

“I think for us it’s really incredible how many partners there are in our area that are Earth-friendly and sustainable,” said Cavaliere. “And there’s a laundry list of ways the College honors sustainability that will be cool to share with people.”

“It’s about saving the planet for future generations,” added Pileggi.

Full details are available on the College’s Earth Day landing page.

MCCC will celebrate Earth Days in other ways too. MCCC community members will be encouraged to do their part by engaging in Earth-friendly activities, snapping a photo and posting it on Instagram using the hashtag #montcogreen by the end of the week for a chance to win a prize.

The College will also host an Earth Day scavenger hunt for students and employees. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the hunt. For more details, join the Earth Day Scavenger Hunt  Group on Montco Connect. (The scavenger hunt is only open to those with an mc3.edu email address.)

MCCC has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. In 2007, MCCC signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050. Since signing the pledge, MCCC has been actively working to reduce its carbon footprint, incorporate sustainability into academic course programming and engage the community in sustainable practices through events like Earth Day, Sustainability Week and lectures.

The Sustainability Council - a team of employees, students, alumni and community residents - leads MCCC’s sustainability efforts. Chaired by MCCC President, Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, with the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Digital Officer, Dr. Celeste Schwartz acting as her support, the Council developed the institution’s Climate Commitment Action Plan.

For more information on MCCC’s Earth Day events, visit the Earth Day page or email sustainability@mc3.edu.