Campus, community, curriculum, and culture guide sustainability at MSU

<p>It was 50 years ago we celebrated the inaugural Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970. Created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, an estimated 20 million people participated nationwide. The observance has since become a global phenomenon. MSU Today is marking Earth Day 2020 with a round table conversation among MSU environmental leaders, who have devoted much of their lives to the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the university and our planet. <br> <br> Vennie Gore is Vice President for Auxiliary Enterprises, Dan Bollman is Vice President for Strategic Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, and Amy Bulter is Director of Sustainability at Michigan State University.<br> <br> “Sustainability has been one of our key values as an organization dating back to 2007,” says Gore. “And it started as a response to students. Not only is it about recycling and reusing, but it is also how we procure various different products in fair trade. There are both the physical things that we do around the residence halls and in hospitality areas, but it's also a way of how we look at the social ramifications of the things we do.”<br> <br> As Bollman reflects on Earth Day, “it seems like we often get so caught up in the day-to-day we don't take time to step back and really pause and think about how our actions really can affect the larger ecosystem and can have a great impact on this Earth. When I think about Earth Day, I think about how our sustainable actions today can have a real big impact tomorrow. Often for us, it's around energy savings, but it's also really about protecting the natural environment and the human health of all of our occupants on campus.”<br> <br> And for Butler “Earth Day is a time where people become aware and awaken their passion for protecting the environment  They make a commitment to take action. Every single person has a role to play. Here at MSU, we look at sustainability as the 4C's: campus, community, curriculum, and culture. It's really the intersection of all the things that