Earth Week Activities on Campus Inspire Social Responsibility

With a combination of education, exercise, community service, and fun, Farmingdale State College’s (FSC) Earth Week celebration demonstrated why the College earned a STARS Silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). 

Maia Roseval, FSC’s Manager of Sustainability, indicated the goals for the week were to raise the campus’ awareness and help people adopt more sustainable practices in their everyday lives.  

An Earth Day celebration on the lawn outside the Campus Center on April 18 featured information about the Environmental and Horticulture Clubs, recycling rechargeable batteries and phones, as well as karaoke, food trucks, a clothing swap, lawn games, and the opportunity to tie-dye t-shirts. 

As part of the clothing swap, students sorted through racks of used and new clothes, picking out items new to them. The clothing swap was so popular that Roseval said she would like to organize one each semester.

Jenesi Ventura, ’24, volunteers at a shelter for families and knows how important donations are, especially clothing. “I don’t need new, I need different,” she said. “This helped out a lot of people.”

Other activities included a tree-planting on campus, a trash clean-up at Bethpage State Park and outdoor yoga. In addition, an on-campus paint collection yielded 4,000 gallons of paint, including 100 gallons just from FSC. The paint was delivered to a company that reuses or recycles it, or turns the donations into new colors and products.

The Earth Week’s experiences and the AASHE information will help guide the Sustainability Office as it develops a sustainability plan over the next two years. “This tells us where we need to focus our energy. We’ll be working closely with the Sustainability Committee,” said Roseval. “I hope we shined a light on environmental issues this week.”

FSC is the only college on Long Island with a STARS silver rating from AASHE. Evaluation participants report achievements in the areas of academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership, according to AASHE. 

“I really wish humans would do more for the planet,” said Ian Azimov, ’26, who was attending an Earth Day event. “I’m glad Farmingdale is doing its part.”