It’s April, and that means that almost everyone at Suffolk is even busier now than they are the rest of the year. April means that students are working on final projects, studying for exams, or getting ready for end-of-the-year performances and oral presentations.  Faculty are grading, and grading, and grading. Staff are planning Senior Week, preparing for major events such as Commencement, or working tirelessly to ensure that our online grading system runs smoothly, our event spaces are set to go, and our facilities projects for the summer are all set to launch. And did I mention that the Admission team is already recruiting for the fall of 2020 even as they continue to focus on bringing in the new students who will be joining us in September?  Wow.

Yes, it is April.  Everything I have referenced above, and so much more, is important to helping us fulfill our mission in small ways and large. But in the midst of all of this work, I am asking you to make room for something else this week. I’m hoping you’ll take time to focus on Earth Week and how we can do more to advance a culture of sustainability here at Suffolk.

The Suffolk Sustainability Committee has put together a week of wonderful activities designed to help us do just that. There is a green building campus tour this afternoon, and later today a discussion of environmental policy in Massachusetts. Tomorrow, the Sustainability Committee and Sodexo will host the University’s first-ever Farmer’s Market with fresh local produce.

On Wednesday night there is a screening of the film To the Ends of the Earth, and on Thursday an Earth Day Fair will be held on Roemer Plaza. All week long you can follow the Student Environmental Club on Instagram @suffolkenviro and hashtag #SUEARTHDAY2019 to maybe, just maybe, win a bike in the social media raffle.

I hope you will participate in one or more of these events. But most of all I hope we will all take some extra time this week to think about how our practices at Suffolk can be adjusted to help us be a more sustainably focused institution that is working to combat climate change and, in our urban location, contributing to a more sustainably focused Boston as well.

Even during this busy time of year, it’s worth putting greater focus on sustainability as a University community. The earth depends upon us to do our part.

marisasig

Marisa J. Kelly
President