Students ready to lead second annual late night Trash Crawl

If you’re a night owl, a neat freak or just an occasional insomniac, SUNY Fredonia has the perfect thing for you to do this weekend.

Members of the Student Association, together with its Campus Climate Challenge, invite students and community members to take part in the campus’ second annual Trash Crawl, at 1:30 a.m. — yes, a.m. — this Sunday, April 10, following a typical Saturday night on the town by area students and residents.

The event helps clean up the primary village walking routes around the university, and also reduces the amount of harmful pollutants introduced into the region. Anyone interested in lending a hand should meet at the LoGrasso Hall Parking lot, next to the campus entrance off Temple St. The groups will split up and walk down Temple St., Central Ave., and Main St., picking up garbage and recyclable items along the way.

“We want to make more students aware of how much litter is on the streets that they walk to and from campus on,” said David Proctor, the Student Association’s chair of Community Relations, “and try to make Fredonia a better, more environmentally friendly place for community members and students.”

During the initial 2010 Trash Crawl, students cleaned up such items as cigarette butts and packaging, beer cans, plastic and glass bottles, plastic bags, plastic cups, food wrappers and more. Students from the Campus Climate Challenge subsequently took this waste and created two pieces of art — a Trash Man and Trash Woman — that were displayed in the Williams Center throughout the campus’ 2010 Earth Week celebration.

“By picking up trash on our sidewalks, not only are we cleaning our community, but we’re also cleaning our environment,” said Katie Tyczynski, a member of the Campus Climate Challenge. The trash and recyclables collected also reduce the chance of contamination from these substances, whose chemicals leak into the ground water, working their way into area food sources and, eventually, our bodies.

Gloves and garbage bags will be provided to volunteers, along with some flashlights and reflective tape to ensure safety. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own flashlights as well, and to wear bright colors.

To learn more, contact Mr. Proctor at (585) 519-5642 or dproctor@fredonia.edu. The event is sponsored by the Student Association’s Departments of Community Relations and Environmental Affairs along with the Campus Climate Challenge.