Focus on 'Green' Commencement, Unity College Puts Emphasis on Sustainability

UNITY, Maine,  March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  In 2010, Unity College proudly raised the bar on how green a college commencement could be, offering features such as 100% power from renewable sources, diplomas on recycled paper, and caps and gowns made from recycled plastic bottles.

For its planned 2011 commencement exercises, the environmental college in Unity, Maine, will attempt to improve upon its previous achievement.

Will Unity College once again host the greenest college commencement in the United States?  Whether or not any college or university can support such a claim, the fact remains that officials are certain the 2011 exercises will be the greenest in its 45-year history.

Unity College commencement exercises are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, in the gymnasium on the college campus, 90 Quaker Hill Road, Unity, Maine. Author and Sustainable Agriculture Activist Gary Paul Nabhan will serve as the commencement speaker.

Full details of the 2011 commencement festivities, honorary degrees and awards are available online at www.unity.edu.

"We believe that our 2011 commencement exercises will surpass the previous year, which was among the greenest held anywhere in the United States in 2010," noted Summer Programs and Events Coordinator Kate Grenier . "Our theme this year is agriculture and local food systems.  This theme ties in very well with our growing new major, Agriculture, Food and Sustainability."

"Unity College has been widely recognized for its approach to sustainability," said Associate Director of College Communications Mark Tardif .

The senior banquet will be held on Friday, May 6, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Unity College gymnasium.  Grenier expects 75% of the food served will be from local and sustainable sources. Associate Professor Tim Peabody '81, a former Colonel of the Maine Warden Service, will deliver an address.  

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.

In 2010, Unity College was named to the top 30 of the Washington Monthly college rankings, and was one of eighteen U.S. colleges and universities named to The Princeton Review's Green Rating Honor Roll.

SOURCE Unity College

RELATED LINKS
http://www.unity.edu