Article written by News Editor Zoebelle Bean
On Thursday, April 18, 114 people came together between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to volunteer to care for the Earth during the “We All Live Here” volunteering event, sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Aquinas College Infrastructure Sustainability Committee. This day of service was hosted to celebrate both Earth Day and Arbor Day. In total, eight different services were offered, including work done at Aquinas, Marywood, and Wilcox Park.
The Dominican Pillars of Aquinas College, particularly community and service, governed the event by uniting 35 Aquinas volunteers to care for our common home. Trash was removed on campus, including from Coldbrook Creek by volunteers in waders. 200 trees were planted to help re-establish the understory of the campus woodlands. 100 young trees from the past two years were marked for future tracking by tying flagging tape around their branches. The pond at the Marywood Dominican Center was cleaned and prepped for wildflower and tree planting. The trail in Wilcox Park, created initially at last year’s “We All Live Here” event, was maintained and cleaned. Wood chips were spread along our campus pathways and placed around the community garden. The community garden was also weeded and maintained.
Beyond Aquinas, volunteers from the community came onto campus to help serve, including students from the Grand Rapids Museum, people from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, as well as adults who lived adjacent to the campus.
According to Jessica Bowen, Executive Director for the Center for Sustainability at Aquinas, “The ‘We All Live Here’ Service Day is one of my favorite events of the year at Aquinas. Witnessing our campus community unite in a collective effort to nurture the Earth and make our campus even more beautiful is profoundly inspiring.”
Image Courtesy of Editor
Honoring Aquinas’ campus was central to “We All Live Here.” To herald in the event, Aquinas President Alicia Cordoba began with a statement that referenced Laudato Si and Father Jordan offered up a prayer to bless the Earth and the work done by the volunteers’ hands as servants of the planet.
The sustainability and care of the Earth is very important to everyone who lives here and this event was a great reminder to everyone: we all live here, and this is all our responsibility.
Featured Image Courtesy of Ella Satterwaite
The Saint 