| VIDEO |
 * Purdue concludes Green Week 2008 by cleaning up the Wabash River. (3 minutes, 19 seconds) |
September 4, 2008
Campus, community events set for Green Week
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Details have been set for several campus and community events planned during Purdue University's Green Week Sept. 15-19, including an Alternative Transportation Challenge and a Wabash River cleanup.The goal of the second annual Alternative Transportation Challenge is to encourage students and residents to use buses, carpooling, biking or walking to get to classes, work or to run errands for the week.
"By becoming aware of the accessibility of buses, the health benefits of walking or biking, and the gas-cost savings of carpooling, participants may make alternate modes of transportation a regular part of their routine," said Amelie Davis of Boiler Green Initiative, a student organization that is running the event.
Participants who record the starting and ending addresses each time they use alternative transportation during the week will be eligible for prizes from local merchants. Participants can register at https://www.purdue.edu/DP/environment/ATC. An award program is planned from 3-5 p.m. Sept. 19 at the West Lafayette Public Library, 200 Northwestern Ave.
Sponsors in addition to Boiler Green are the City of West Lafayette, CityBus, and Purdue's Center for the Environment, Climate Change Research Center, Energy Center and Cycling Club.
The Wabash River cleanup, scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 19, will pair up community and campus groups, said Mike Piggott, Purdue's director of community relations. For instance, the Lafayette Rotary Club will team with Rotaract, the Purdue student Rotary group, while tour guides from the Purdue Visitor Information Center will work with their counterparts from Ivy Tech.
"We've ordered a thousand T-shirts, so obviously we think this is going to be a big event," Piggott said.
Participants will be invited to sit as a group at the talk by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author Thomas Friedman that evening.
Groups interested in taking part in the cleanup can contact Piggott at (765) 494-4636.
Also for Green Week, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has transformed its monthly Eggs and Issues breakfast into a Green Eggs and Issues event. Local companies, the university and residence halls will discuss their sustainability efforts. The event, planned for Sept. 18, will be at the Lafayette Country Club, 1500 S. Ninth St., and is open to the public. Signup is through the Chamber's Web site at https://www.lafchamber.org
Updated information about all Green Week activities can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/greenWriter: Judith Barra Austin, (765) 494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Sources: Amelie Davis, (765) 496-1216, amelie@purdue.edu
Mike Piggott, (765) 494-4636, mpiggott@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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