Syracuse University’s Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services hosts its annual Earth Day Communitywide Cleanup on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Each year, more than 100 SU and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty, staff and Syracuse-area residents gather to pick up litter in the University neighborhood. Volunteers are needed and can sign up at http://earthday.syr.edu.
Participants will meet at the Westcott Community Center, 826 Euclid Ave., at 10 a.m. for breakfast, and to receive materials and assignments before they head out to clean the neighborhood with community partners, the South East University Neighborhood Association (SEUNA).
“This is a longstanding partnership between the University and surrounding community,” says Kerry Heckman, program coordinator for Off-Campus and Commuter Services. “It is a great opportunity for students to give back to the neighborhood in which they live, and strengthen the bonds with their neighbors.”
For the last several years, Earth Day has also served as the capstone on SU’s Adopt-A-Street program. This year’s program included 631 students participating in 728 hours of service and picking up 170 bags of trash in the University neighborhood.
“SEUNA looks forward to Earth Day each year, not only for getting the area picked up, but for the chance to work alongside students,” says Harry Lewis, treasurer of SEUNA. “We are very grateful for the block cleanups that take place throughout the year, and are lucky to be able to live among the students, as they give a vibrancy to an area that has been voted one of the 10 best areas to live in the U.S.”
For more information, contact the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services at 443-2343 or offcampus@syr.edu.
