Happy Earth Day!
Earth Day was founded on April 22, 1970 and is celebrated each year as a “…reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and take action for a healthier planet and brighter future.” (earthday.org).
This week at UMA, we at the Office of Civic Engagement hope you will join us in celebrating Earth Day by engaging in community-based environmental and conservation efforts, educating one’s self on the important challenges we face… and by enjoying our local environment!
Earth Day Activities in the UMA Community and Beyond:
Events
Helping Coastal Towns Adapt to Climate Change.
A discussion a with state and town officials about Mainers are confronting the costs and impacts of climate change and climate related disasters. Online, Tuesday, 6:00-7:00pm. Free with registration.
EnviroCorps Earth Day Celebration.
Join this virtual webinar from our Campus Compact partners for through provoking & engaging discussions on our role in protecting natural spaces and creating lasting environmental impact. Online, Wednesday, 2:30-4:00pm. Free with registration.
Painting and Drawing Nature in Spring: Emergence.
Join local artist and naturalist Allison Donohue in painting and drawing some of the early signs of spring. All ages and abilities welcome. In-person, Saturday, 10:00-11:30am. Free with registration.
Activities
Watch “Oyate”. This documentary follow indigenous activists and politicians who resisted the Dakota Pipeline. Available to stream free through the UMA Library Services
Learn how to make a public comment
Write to your representatives about climate change.
Visit Viles Arboretum. Free.
Read a book from the Earth Day selection at Katz Library. Free with UMA ID
Commit to personal change with 10 simple choices for a healthier planet. Climate change will require institution-level change, but personal choice still matters!
Recent Activities at UMA and Beyond
Volunteers from UMA and the Greater Kennebec Area Helped CA$H Maine
CA$H Maine provides free tax preparation and money management resources with Mainers statewide. The local Central Maine CA$H sees over dozens of volunteers chip in each year to help prepare taxes and provide free financial education.
UMA Students from previous years found CA$H Maine through the Accounting Program and Professors Thomas Giordano and Gary Page. At the time, Jessica Parks and Leah Kovitch participated in the program Jessica reflected that her favorite part about volunteering was “getting to meet others who had worked in the accounting field and getting to ask them questions.” Through her volunteer work, Jessica was able to do an informational interview with a volunteer working in her field and practice her accounting skills.
Professor Giordano shared that for UMA Accounting students, “It has been a great opportunity for students to actually prepare tax returns while engaging with real tax data.” Giordano also says that “volunteering is an important aspect of being a responsible accounting professional.”
UMA Bangor & Augusta Community Gardens
The UMA Bangor and Augusta Campus Community Gardens grow hundreds of pounds of food annually that are donated to six local pantries and shelters, including the Food for Thought pantry on the Bangor Campus and the Augusta Food Bank.
The Bangor Garden Club hosts educational gardening events, such as workshops on starting seedlings and composting. The Augusta Student Garden Club is starting anew in the 2024 season and is hoping to see many (new) friendly faces this summer. The gardens provide and essential services to the community by growing food that is donated to food insecure Mainers.
What Do Students Have to Say?
Amanda Griffin: Making a Difference
Amanda Griffin: Making a DifferenceAmanda Griffin studied Business Administration on UMA’s Augusta campus, but she was always sure to make time to help out with the campus’ food share program. Once a week, Amanda and other UMA Augusta students met to pick up food from the Augusta Food Bank. This food was then brought to the campus and shared between the on-campus food pantry in the Randall Student Center, the residential hall, and the athletics program!
When asked, Amanda said civic engagement means “making a difference – whether small or big – in your community to help those around you,” and UMA’s food share program definitely makes a difference. Many college students face food insecurity, and this program helps students to have easy, free access to food so that they can focus on work and study.
Kayla Kalel: Addressing Injustice in the Community
Kayla Kalel: Addressing Injustice in the CommunityWorking towards community betterment has been extremely important to Kayla Kalel. “For as long as people in my community that I love and care deeply about continue to die preventable deaths from overdoses, and for as long as some of my friends, family members and folks that I have met in the community are incarcerated for non-violent crimes, leaving their children alone to fend for themselves,” she said, “I consider it my obligation to advocate to ensure our community creates the type of community connection and resources all of us need to be our best selves.”
On top of her work as a student, Kayla served on the board of directors for Food AND Medicine, the Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy, and the Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition, and is co-founder of the Birth Justice Collective. While a student, Kayla also volunteered with the Bangor Area Recovery Network and helped to increase access to Narcan Kits. Additionally, she was the project co-coordinator for “Stories of Incarceration: The Penobscot County Jail Storytelling Project” and was featured on a podcast discussing how the carceral system impacts families and parenting.
To Kayla, “civic engagement is taking the opportunity to give back to the community. It’s seeing a need or an injustice, and then taking steps to make others aware of the injustice, and advocating in various ways to ensure it’s changed.” She adds that “civic engagement also means noticing voices in the community that are not being heard for various reasons, finding out why they are not being heard, and then creating equity and creating space to ensure these folks are part of the conversation and are part of decision making within their community.”
Alicia Bell: Sharing Skills and Giving Back
Alicia Bell: Sharing Skills and Giving BackAlicia Bell pursued a BA in Art at UMA and spent her time between both the Augusta and Bangor campuses. She also used her creative and artistic skills to help her community as the secretary of the Bedtime Quilters in Bucksport and a member of the Pine Tree Quilting Guild. Alicia said that, when creating a quilt, “every member in the group makes a block, and it is put together with hard work, dedication, and lots of bright colors for love” before the quilt is donated to a local community shelter. By sharing her skills, Alicia was able to give back and help people in need. “Giving back to the community is essential to me,” she says, “because the community helps me live a safe life.”