Students and Educators for Environmental Development and Sustainability (SEEDS) and the Academy for the Environment are co-sponsoring an Earth Day celebration Thursday, April 19 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Jot Travis Student Union lawn. The event will include a yoga session, a live band performance, a raffle and a recycled art contest. Groups and organizations from campus and throughout the community will also have booths set up with information about their programs.

"We organized this event to bring awareness to environmental issues and promote different groups around campus and in the community," said Kevin Lundmark, a member of SEEDS.

The event will begin with a free yoga session from 11:15- 11:45 a.m. sponsored by Art of Living. A live performance from Action Sound! String Band will follow at noon.

"Action Sound! String Band comprises current graduate students and alumni from the University," Lundmark said. "We are really excited to have them."

A Raffle will begin at 1 p.m. with items donated by businesses and organizations throughout the community. Some of these items include a Trader Joe's gift basket, free yoga sessions and gift cards to local coffee shops.

"There will also be free coffee and free samples of triple-certified coffee beans," Lundmark said. "We really try to promote the use of triple-certified coffee beans because they are organic, fair-trade and shade-grown."

The winners of the recycled art contest will be announced at 2 p.m. There will be a $100 first prize and two $50 runner ups. All submissions to the contest are due by 11 a.m. and must be made out of material that otherwise would have been trash.

Lundmark said they are expecting to have about 20 exhibitors at the event. Some of these include U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Conservation Corps., Art of Living and the Young Democrats. The exhibitors will be on the JTSU lawn from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

SEEDS is an organization comprised of students and educators at the University. Their primary mission is to help the University become a model of sustainable development for Nevada. They do this by working with University leaders and administrators to encourage environmentally sustainable practices for current and future campus buildings, campus dining services and within academic programs.

"We're focused on using this campus as an example for sustainability in our community," Lundmark said. "We pushed to have the Joe Crowley Student Union and the New Knowledge center built ‘green' or environmentally friendly [and succeeded].

"Now we are focusing on other projects such as recycling on campus and an effort to use only triple certified coffee beans on campus."

Students who are interested in more information about the Earth Day events or SEEDS are encouraged to contact Kevin Lundmark at landmark@unr.nevada.edu or visit the SEEDS website.