Earth Day!

April 21, 2023

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

We have a perfect opportunity on Saturday to celebrate this year’s Earth Day. The weather will be some of the nicest we have experienced during this year of the endless winter, with temperatures in the 70s. Northern Nevada will finally be able to show its beautiful spring colors.

Earth Day gives us all a chance to celebrate the Earth while also taking stock of what the future holds. It is a day to truly appreciate the wonder of the natural world, and to learn of and commit to the future paths that will sustain and protect the Earth for future generations.

The University, through its tripartite mission of teaching, research and outreach, is a climate and environmental leader. Our students, faculty and staff are our sustainability and environmental innovators. Their commitment throughout the year drives new knowledge and creates action that is helping to alleviate risk and increase understanding of climate change.

As an institution, we have made a comprehensive commitment to sustainability. One of the mission goals for our University, “Make Silver and Blue the New Green,” is part of “Wolf Pack Rising,” our five-year strategic plan. The strategies to achieve this goal include amplifying all of the substantial work that is being done by the people at our University in the areas of sustainability, biodiversity and climate change, as well as increasing enrollment and support of interdisciplinary areas related to the environment. I am extremely proud of our work throughout Nevada and Lake Tahoe and indeed, throughout the world, on the environmental front. This work will not only continue to position our institution as an environmental leader, it is simply the right thing to do.

There are a number of Earth Day activities scheduled for Northern Nevada this weekend.

The Center for Student Engagement is co-hosting with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful a cleanup day at Dick Taylor Memorial Park on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Our Graduate Student Association will be holding a “Unity in Diversity” Earth Day event from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, in the Joe Crowley Student Union plaza and lawn and in the walkway of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.

These events and many more like them are a reminder that Earth Day is a multi-faceted, diverse, and dynamic day where our love of the Earth is brought into full focus. We will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday. And every day after Saturday’s Earth Day, through our advocacy for change and through our actions, we will continue to work to find the solutions that will save our planet.

Earth Day is one of our most hopeful days. Certainly, the challenges before us are real and substantial. But Earth Day is a reminder of what can still be done. It carries with it one of the most powerful messages imaginable: All of us can make a difference.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President