By Ella Doherty
Ella is a Campus Compact EnviroCorps and AmeriCorps member serving at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire
Since 1970, April 22nd has served as a day to celebrate our planet and raise awareness about the positive strides we all can take to honor our shared home. It provides an opportunity to inspire action and reinforce our commitment to environmental stewardship.
As an AmeriCorps member serving with Campus Compact EnviroCorps at Colby-Sawyer College, I am part of a cohort of AmeriCorps members serving across the country to build the capacity of campuses and their local communities to increase environmental stewardship. In my service at Colby-Sawyer, I have been dedicated to promoting environmental conservation and community education through EnviroCorps events.
This year, I took the initiative to expand Colby-Sawyer’s Earth Day celebration into a full week of programming both on campus and in the greater New London, NH community. Over the course of the week we hosted four educational events, including a recycling and waste awareness tabling session, a movie night and conservation discussion, a community Earth Day celebration, and an expo showcasing the environmental work being done throughout the New London region. The week ended with a Day of Service, encouraging participants to take direct, hands-on action.
To kick off Earth Week, we collaborated with Colby-Sawyer faculty to host a lunchtime tabling event designed to engage students through an interactive game about recycling. The game, inspired by the popular yard game cornhole, challenged participants to toss bean bags labeled with common waste items into the correct “bin”, either trash or recycling. In total, 56 students and several staff members participated, with many expressing that they had learned something new after participating. The game was based on educational materials from Casella, which were also distributed during the event.
The week also included educational events in the New London community. On April 22, Earth Day, we hosted a community-wide celebration in collaboration with the New London Recreation Department. Local drummers performed songs about the Earth, water, land, and air, creating a festive and engaging atmosphere. I led a craft table where I discussed the significance of Earth Day with families and guided children in making owl puppets (left), pollinator headbands, and paper chain snakes.
In addition to these hands-on activities, we offered Earth-themed books and lawn games, providing attendees with opportunities to connect with one another, engage in meaningful environmental discussions, and learn through play. More than 10 families attended, each leaving with a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship and practical ways to take action.
I also hosted the first-ever New London Environmental Expo, an event that brought together members of both the New London and Colby-Sawyer communities. Seven local organizations showcased their environmental efforts, including the Lake Sunapee Protective Association (LSPA), New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway Coalition, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, and Boulder Meadow Farm. The expo provided a platform for community organizations to come together, share their work, and celebrate environmental stewardship. It was a valuable opportunity to highlight our shared commitment to the environment and inspire future collaboration.
Earth Week concluded with a Day of Service focused on hands-on action to support our natural habitats. On this bright and sunny day, 38 volunteers, including students, staff, and faculty, planted native species, including pollinators and rain garden plants. Pollinator gardens enliven the campus by supporting bees and other insects, while rain gardens recharge groundwater and aquifers. We also picked up litter near a campus wetland to prevent contamination of this important natural resource. Most of the efforts focused on Pierce Park, where graduation ceremonies are held every year in order to help prepare the campus for graduation.
This day served as a fitting conclusion to an impactful week, celebrating our collective efforts and reinforcing our shared commitment to environmental stewardship.
These Earth Week events highlighted the power of community engagement with higher education institutions in advancing environmental awareness and action. By connecting campus and local organizations, fostering hands-on involvement, and encouraging individual efforts, we created lasting impacts that will hopefully inspire continued efforts toward environmental stewardship.
The success of this week sets a precedent for future initiatives at Colby-Sawyer College and the surrounding community, while highlighting the critical role of collaboration, education, and hands-on nature conservation in enhancing environmental stewardship.