Spring colors surround Colden Pond and the Kissing Bridge on the Northwest campus, which serves as the Missouri Arboretum. Northwest celebrates Earth Day this week with a variety of activities. (Northwest Missouri State University photo)

April 20, 2019

Northwest announces Earth Day activities, introducing apiary

Northwest Missouri State University will host a series of activities Monday, April 22, to celebrate Earth Day, including a tree planting and an introduction of the Northwest Bee Club with a new apiary.

Other activities include a display of recycling equipment and, on Tuesday, April 23, a tree planting with students from Horace Mann Laboratory School and a dumpster dive to evaluate the amount of waste going to landfills.

Earth Day was founded April 22, 1970, to create awareness of environmental issues. That same year, Congress created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is responsible for repairing environmental damage and establishes guidelines for a cleaner, safer environment.

Northwest has been a leader in using alternative fuels since 1982 when it established a biomass energy system utilizing wood chips. In 1990, Northwest enhanced its energy program by adding discarded newspaper, corrugated and cardboard boxes, magazines and other clean paper products to its alternative fuel processes, and, in 2001, Northwest began using animal waste from the University’s farm to create a virtually odor-free pellet that is burned as fuel. In 2010, Northwest began recycling glass and using the ground glass in landscape materials, concrete mix and other needs on the campus.

In 2017, Northwest received the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Excellence and Innovation Award for Sustainability and Sustainable Development. Northwest also is a recipient of multiple Missouri State Recycling Program Annual Awards.

As the Missouri Arboretum, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last fall, the Northwest campus is home to more than 1,700 trees and more than 160 species cultivated from throughout the world. Three trails – the Gaunt Trail, Tower Trail and Chataqua Trail – traverse the campus to help visitors learn about the trees and get an up-close view of them.

A complete listing of Earth Day-related activities at Northwest appears below.

Monday, April 22

• 8 a.m. – Recycling Equipment Display (J.W. Jones Student Union, east side)
• 11 a.m. – Apiary display (Student Union, east side)
• 1 p.m. – Tree planting (Memorial Bell Tower)
• 5 p.m. – Apiary ribbon-cutting with Northwest Bee Club (orchard west of main campus; shuttle will begin running from Student Union parking lot at 4:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 23

• Tree planting with Horace Mann students (Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse)
• Noon – Dumpster dive (North Complex)