Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's sustainability initiative takes a major step forward Wednesday [April 22] when President Mark E. Keenum signs the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
The noon public ceremony on the lawn fronting the State Fountain Bakery and Bistro coincides with the university's 2009 Earth Day observance. Members of Golden Triangle communities are being invited to join students, faculty and staff for the activity and related events.
In addition to the ceremony, MSU's new Environmental Collaborative Office is joining with the Appalachian Leadership Honors Program and Green Starkville to host a daylong Earth Day Fair at the Old Main Plaza in front of the adjoining Marketplace at Perry. Exhibits, live musical performances, a research showcase, and recycling drive will seek to foster a greater awareness of sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.
Jeremiah Dumas, ECO director, said the commitment signing represents a significant campus milestone for the land-grant institution and state's largest university.
"We have been laying the foundation for a university-wide sustainability effort for months, and now that all of the pieces are in place, we're excited about launching it officially on Earth Day," he said.
"Dr. Keenum's signing of the climate commitment is an excellent example of how MSU is taking a proactive, long-range approach to environmental challenges," he added.
Dumas, an MSU-educated landscape architect who also is a GeoResources Institute assistant research professor, said the ECO currently is coordinating a wide range of efforts designed to help the university "go greener."
For more information, visit www.eco.msstate.edu or contact Dumas at 662-325-3852 or jdumas@gri.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.