SUNY Oneonta’s annual Green Dragon Week is an Earth Day celebration that showcases the campus commitment to sustainability through events and activities. Started in 2010, Green Dragon Week promotes environmental causes, including recycling, reduced consumption and creating a campus-wide culture of sustainability. The events and activities for Green Dragon Week 2024 will take place April 22 through April 26.
2024 Green Dragon Week Events
Monday, April 22
Library Waste Audit
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Front of Milne Library
Join us for our first ever waste audit on campus! Come help or watch as we sort and weigh a week's worth of waste from Milne Library.
Tuesday, April 23
17 Tables: Sustainable Development Goal Fair
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., President's Garden (outside of Milne Library)
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint for a better world. At this fair you are invited to play a game at each of the 17 tables and get your SDG passport stamped for LEAD credit and a chance to win prizes. THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)
Campus Tree Walk
1:30 p.m., meet at President’s Garden
Explore SUNY Oneonta’s trees by taking this tour through campus led by Dr. Sean Robinson, Biology. Learn about the various tree species on campus, how you can identify trees and progress on a campus arboretum.
Campus Meadow Planting
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., meet outside Perna Science
Join the Seminar in Conservation Biology class to celebrate and support the planting of the first pollinator meadow on campus! This will be a hands on opportunity to plant, snack, and learn about native pollinators and their benefits.
Green Career Panel with Recent Graduates
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., virtual on Teams
Join recent SUNY Oneonta graduates who are pursuing or have started careers or graduate programs related to sustainability. Get tips from students who have been there and ask questions about life after college.
Wednesday, April 24
Green Your Commute
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Schumacher Bus Stop (Rain location, in lobby of Red Dragon Outfitters)
Join your classmates and colleagues in greening your commute! Commit to reducing your environmental impact by carpooling, riding the bus, biking, walking or driving an electric or hybrid vehicle, for at least one trip to or from campus during the week (April 22-26) and enjoy coffee and donuts on us! Register your planned Green Commute for the week of April 22-26!
Rain location will be in the lobby of Red Dragon Outfitters outside of Starbucks.
Pot Party with Pollinators
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Academic Quad
Choose from a variety of seeds to plant in your own custom painted pot! Learn about native pollinator plants from a local farmer, see bees at work in a see through apiary and taste test honey.
Plastic Wars Documentary Screening
6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., Red Dragon Theater
FRONTLINE investigates what is really been happening with our ever-growing mountains of plastic waste, what industry insider knew about the environmental and public health problems of plastic, and when they knew it. This documentary examines the industry’s role in shaping a system that has never worked as advertised, and the decades-long effort to keep a highly profitable secret alive: recycling hasn’t kept plastic out of the environment or the oceans. It has just sold more plastic.
Join the Office of Sustainability and Bryan Picciotto, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies in this viewing and stay for a short discussion about recycling myths and the new SUNY Single Use Plastics Reduction Policy.
Climate Trivia!
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Red Dragon Theater
Do you know the difference between weather and climate? Do you know an ozone hole vs. ozone? Challenge yourself with this team trivia in time for Earth Day. Come with a team of 4 or join a team once you arrive. Nacho bar and prizes.
Thursday, April 25
Food Justice with VINES & Seed Starting Workshop
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Schumacher 209
Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments, INC. (VINES) is an organization committed to developing a sustainable and just community food system in Binghamton, New York. Learn how they transformed flood prone and abandoned neighborhoods into vibrant community gardens. A seed starting and garden planning workshop will also be included.
Neahwa Park Clean Up & Feel Good Smoothie
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., meet at Neahwa Park
Join the SUNY Oneonta Office of Sustainability interns and EcoReps to pick up trash at Neahwa Park. All volunteers receive a smoothie from Feel Good Smoothie at the end of the clean up. RSVP in advance to help us plan!
Meet at the parking lot by the baseball field.
Friday, April 26
Discussion with Bill McKibben
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Craven Hall, Morris Conference Center
Join Bill McKibben, SUNY Oneonta's 2024 Cornell-Gladstone-Hanlon-Kaufmann Environmental Education and Communication speaker for this informal discussion before the 4 pm lecture. Ask questions and hear from our distinguished speaker in a smaller setting. Please RSVP as space is limited.
Local Environmental Activism Tables & Displays, Chase Gymnasium
Cornell-Gladstone-Hanlon-Kaufmann Lecture in Environmental Education and Communication featuring Bill McKibben
4:00 p.m., Chase Gymnasium
Bill McKibben Book Signing
5:00 p.m., Chase Gymnasium
Saturday, April 27
Earth Day Festival
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Dietz St, downtown
Community Table at the Farmers Market
Meet at the Oneonta Farmers Market on Dietz St from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. to explore the downtown market. The market consists of local businesses, produce and food stands, live entertainment and more! Show your student ID and get $15 in coupons to use at the market vendors!
All week
Self- guided Campus Tree Walk
Participate in citizen science with our campus Phenology tour! This tour, designed by biology student Julia Ospina ’21, features various native trees and encourages observation of tree phenology, or the various stages of the seasonal cycle to help identify how climate change are affecting various species.
Come pick up a pamphlet and map at the Office of Sustainability, then send a selfie on your walk to sustainability@oneonta.edu by Sunday April 28 and be part of a drawing for an Empire Pass (New York State Parks Pass)!
Monday, April 17
Climate Action Tables & Displays
6 pm, Field House Lobby
The Power & Strength of Youth in Climate Action, lecture by Arielle King
7 pm, Dewar Arena, Alumni Field House
Arielle V. King is a 24-year-old environmental educator, facilitator, writer, and content creator passionate about making environmentalism inclusive and accessible to all. Arielle focused on storytelling and amplifying the voices, work, and legacies of those traditionally excluded from mainstream environmentalism. She has a background in environmental racism analysis, developing anti-racism policies for municipalities and school districts, political ecology, civil rights law, and centering community input in environmental governance. She is the Tik Tok and Podcast Host for Intersectional Environmentalist, a climate justice nonprofit dedicated to radically imagining a more equitable and diverse future of environmentalism. Arielle has earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy, and a Juris Doctor degree focused on environmental justice and civil rights law. She sits on the Board of Directors for Our Climate and Positive Tracks and is a member of the CDC Climate Action Plan Advisory Panel.
Tuesday, April 18
Experience Sustainability: Internships, Jobs, Study Abroad, Research
2:30- 4 pm, International Lounge, Hunt Union
Talk to students who are expanding their resume through sustainability related internships, jobs, study abroad and research opportunities on and off campus.
Neahwa Park Clean Up & Feel Good Smoothie!
5:30 pm, meet at Neahwa Park
Volunteers and the Green Groups picked up trash at Neahwa Park. All volunteers received a smoothie from Feel Good Smoothie at the end of the clean up.
Wednesday, April 19
State of Sustainability at SUNY Oneonta
3 pm, Science Discovery Center
What does sustainability look like at SUNY Oneonta? What does our campus do successfully and how can we improve? How do we compare to other institutions? We looked at the recently submitted 2023 Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, how we earned the Silver recognition and how we can get to Gold!
Youth vs. Gov Documentary Movie Screening
5:30 pm, Red Dragon Theater, Hunt Union
YOUTH v GOV is the story of the Juliana v. The United States of America constitutional lawsuit and the 21 American youth, ages 14 to 25, who are taking on the world’s most powerful government. Since 2015, the legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust, has been representing these youth in their landmark case against the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, personal safety, and property through their willful actions in creating the climate crisis they will inherit.
The Office of Sustainability screened the movie and discussed the role of American youth in the climate crisis. Discussion was led by Dr. Bryan Piccioto, Communication and Media Studies.
Thursday, April 20
17 Tables: Sustainable Development Goal Fair,
12-4 pm Netzer Quad
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint for a better world. At this fair people were invited to play a game at each of the 17 tables and get a SDG passport stamped for LEAD credit and raffle prizes. THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)
Campus Tree Walk
1:30 pm, meet at Welcome Center
We explored SUNY Oneonta’s trees by taking a tour through campus led by Dr. Sean Robinson, Biology. We learned about the various tree species on campus, how you can identify trees and progress on a campus arboretum.
7 pm, Life After Graduation Series: Sustainability Careers
Teams
We joined recent SUNY Oneonta graduates who are pursuing or have started careers or graduate programs related to sustainability. Students gave tips and answered questions about life after college. This event was part of Green Dragon Week.
This event was supported, in part, by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Engagement Office and the Fund For Oneonta.
Friday, April 21
Green Dragon Recognition Ceremony
4 pm, Hunt Union
All week
Environmental Book Scavenger Hunt
Players were to find 10 books (focused on the environment) hidden on campus in sustainable spots. Then they had to scan the QR on the book cover and get a clue to the next spot! The first five students that found all the books won prizes! Hosted by the Philosophy Department, Office of Equity and Inclusion, and Office of Sustainability.
FIRST CLUE: Philosophy Department, Fitzelle Hall
Sustainable Development Goal Display
Milne Library
Monday, April 18
5 pm, Weather or Not? A Sustainability Showcase, Science Discovery Center
This event, hosted by the President's Advisory Council on Sustainability, will feature brief presentations by faculty and students from Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. - Dr. Chris Karmosky "Weather vs. Climate," Alice Brennan "SUNY Oneonta Weather Station, "Carlene Eaton & Olivia Bartik "Morris River Cleanup," Alice Brennan "Women in STEM"
8 pm, Green Careers Panel with recent graduates, Teams
Join recent SUNY Oneonta graduates who are pursuing or have started careers or graduate programs related to sustainability. Get tips from students who have been there and ask questions about life after college.
Panelists include: Annie Botch '18: Sustainability Coordinator, Ascend Amphitheater & Project Coordinator, Rock the Ocean Foundation, Claire McMahon '19: Invasive Species Technician, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Sophie Millar '20: Natural Resources Assistant, Student Conservation Association (AmeriCorps), Shyia Magan '22: Curator, Paleontological Research Institute and Cayuga Nature Center
Tuesday, April 19
11 am- 3 pm, 17 Tables: UN Sustainable Development Goal Fair, Netzer Quad
5 pm, Eco Fashion Show and River Blue Screening, Red Dragon Theater
Everyone wears clothes, but have you ever thought about what you are wearing? Is it fast fashion or slow fashion? Have you ever heard those terms? Fast fashion is everywhere, and it uses excessive amounts of resources while also creating toxic pollution to many areas of the environment. This Eco Fashion show will demonstrate how simple it is to reduce your fashion impact on the environment.
There will be a screening of RIVERBLUE, following the fashion show. RIVERBLUE is a documentary following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.
Wednesday, April 20
12 -2 pm, Recycling Collection, IRC Lobby
Bring in your hard to recycle materials for collection and be entered into a raffle of to win a gift card to sustainable brands Lush or Patagonia!
Accepted items include: All brands empty writing instruments, Glue sticks, Watercolor or paint sets, Outside packaging, disposable masks, used toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, caps and outer packaging, floss containers, mouthwash, Garnier hair care/skin care packaging, Burts Bees skin care/cosmetics packaging, disposable razors and flexible outer packaging, bottles and cans, white Styrofoam.
6 pm, Research Displays & Exhibits, Field House Lobby
7 pm. Anatomy of a Water Crisis: Lecture by Anna Clark, Alumni Field House
Anna Clark is a reporter for ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative journalism with moral force. The Poisoned City recounts the gripping story of Flint, Michigan’s poisoned water through the people who caused it, suffered from it, and exposed it. It is a chronicle of one town, but could also be about any American city, all made precarious by the neglect of infrastructure and the erosion of democratic decision-making. It won the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism and the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award, and was named one of the year’s best books by the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Public Library, Audible, and others. Anna’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Elle, the New Republic, Politico, the Columbia Journalism Review, the Boston Review, Next City, and other publications.
Thursday, April 21
8:30- 10 am, Green Commute Welcome Table, Netzer Quad
Join your classmates/colleagues in greening your commute! Commit to reducing your impact by carpooling, ride the OPT, biking, walk, driving an electric or hybrid vehicle, for at least one trip to or from campus during the week and enjoy coffee and donuts on us! The table will also include information about how to incorporate a green commute into your routine if you haven’t already. Commit to your Green Commute!
1 pm, Campus Tree Walk, meet in front of Welcome Center
Explore SUNY Oneonta’s trees by taking this guided tour throughout campus. This tour, designed by biology student Julia Ospina ’21, features various native trees and encourages observation of tree phenology, or the various stages of the seasonal cycle to help identify how climate change are affecting various species. Through the tour you will learn to identify campus trees and how to participate in citizen science.
6 pm, Hemp Plastic Revolution! Material Maxim & MAMCO, Hunt 215
Join local company Material Maxim/MAMCO in a discussion of how they are disrupting the plastics industry with their unwavering commitment to change.
Material Maxim has created a group of "ideas to action" companies that work together to secure our collective future through sustainable practices. Our maxim is our truth: The time to act is now. If we can change the way we think, the way we design, the materials we use and the processes we use to build and move our products; then the world can begin to heal.
Sustainability is not just a word. It is a culture that either is or isn't. It is not something that you try or hope for, it is something that you are. It is an unwavering commitment to change. MATERIAL MAXIM companies are industrial AVENGERS.
Friday, April 22
1:30-2:30 pm DIY Body Scrub, Hunt Union Lobby
Learn how to make your own body scrub out of things you have in your kitchen. Materials will be provided and you take home what you make!
2-2:50, Environmental Activism with author Carrie Freeman, Science Discovery Center
Join Dr. Carrie Freeman, author of The Human Animal Earthling Identity, in a discussion and Q&A about a set of universal values (supporting life, fairness, responsibility, and unity) that can help unify social movements to increase strength and influence and how individuals can save the world by expanding our sense of self.
5 pm, Green Dragon Recognition, Hunt Ballroom lobby, INVITE ONLY
The Green Dragon Recognition Program is an initiative intended to celebrate and recognize students who have shown a commitment to sustainability during their time at SUNY Oneonta. In order to earn an invitation to the 2022 Recognition students will need to earn 350 sustainability engagement points earned through participation in courses, clubs, research, events, etc. by April 22. The event will be a chance to celebrate all that makes all that makes sustainability on campus great- the people involved. There will be presentations of awards, appetizers and a chance to mingle with fellow students, faculty and staff committed to sustainability.
Saturday, April 23
11- 3:30 pm, The 2041 Festival: Imagining a Positive Climate Future, Science Discovery Center
What does a positive climate future look like? How can we transform the systems we rely on? And even though climate change will inevitably bring disruption, can we envision a future where people find more connection and community? The 2041 Festival is a celebration of the ideas and imagination of over 200 community members who participated in collaborative worldbuilding workshops that challenged us to imagine what the world of 2041 might look, if we started working together now.
Featuring: Student Posters, Future Art Exhibition, Short Talks, Panel Discussions, Vegetarian Lunch, Live Demos, Interactive Timeline Exhibit and more!
9 am- 12 pm, Morris Earth Day Clean Up, meet at Morris Central School Parking Lot
In the fall, the SUNY Oneonta Geo Club and Environmental Science clubs removed tons of plastic from the Calhoun Creek after flooding and there is the opportunity to add to their efforts!
Week 2: April 16- April 23
- Keep Oneonta beautiful! Join the environmental science clubs in Neahwa Park for a litter clean up. Participants will get a sweet treat courtesy of Feel Good Smoothie :)
Up to Heaven and Down to Hell: Fracking, Freedom, and Community in an American Town
- A discussion with the author Colin Jerolmack about fracking and the research conducted to complete his deeply intimate book of the same name. Dr. Jerolmack, joined by Dr. Ron Bishop and Dr. Jim Mills (SUNY Oneonta), will share how the decision to lease land brings financial rewards but can also cause irreparable harm to neighbors, to communal resources like air and water, and even to oneself.
The 2041 Project Panel Discussion- Experience a POSITIVE Climate Future
- What will the world, the country, and SUNY Oneonta look like in 2041? What ideas just taking root today will shape our future lives? There’s no better way to imagine a positive future than to step into it...Welcome to the 2041 Project!
Climate Change: A Laughing Matter
- Author of The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change, Yoram Bauman, to give an open talk to the campus community about climate change in his signature humorous and wide ranging voice.
Green Careers Panel with Recent Graduates
- Join recent SUNY Oneonta graduates who are pursuing or have started careers or graduate programs related to sustainability. Get tips from students who have been there and ask questions about life after SUNY Oneonta.
Week 1: April 12- 16
- Environmental justice strives to ensure that no community regardless of race, class, gender or orientation has to face undo environmental burden and has equal access to environmental benefits. The presenters will use the intersecting lenses of race, justice and sustainability to lead a discussion on current and historical injustices including examples like Flint, Michigan, Albany, NY and international climate refugees.. Presentation by E. Howard Ashford and Rachel Kornhauser as part of the Student Diversity and Leadership Speaker Series
- Join this discussion with animal behavior and intelligence expert Dr. Lori Marino, neuroscientist, expert featured in Blackfish and Founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project to discuss non-human intelligence and rights. Dr. Brian Lowe, Department of Sociology and former chair of Animals and Society section of the American Sociological Association (ASA) will be facilitating. You are encouraged to watch the documentary Blackfish before the Q&A event via Netflix, Prime Video, iTunes, Hulu, Google Play, etc.
Get Inspired by “Inventing Tomorrow”
- Wed, April 14, 4 pm movie screening (IRC, RSVP required, 5 pm discussion virtual) , LEAD credit
- Movie screening and discussion with Dr. Eric Stengler and students from the Cooperstown Graduate, Science Museum Studies program. This award winning documentary introduces us to passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats – found right in their own backyards. If you prefer to watch the 55 minute movie on your own you can at this link: https://gooddocs.net/apps/downloads/orders/rachel.kornhauser%2540oneonta.edu/37852509
Power Panel: SUNY Oneonta Clean Energy Master Plan
- Learn about campus clean energy planning with updates on campus energy-use, emission reductions, fossil fuel use, renewable energy and our path forward. This panel discussion will feature key players in the development of the recently completed Clean Energy Master Plan.
Owning OUR Impact: A Panel Discussion of Sustainability Initiatives at SUNY Oneonta
- Are you interested in learning more about sustainability initiatives happening on campus? Hear from students, staff, and faculty members who are engaged in sustainability related work. Expertise ranges from studying microplastics to the economic impact of carbon footprints to imagining what our future might look like. Hosted by PACS.