More than 96 million “acts of green” have been pledged during Earth Week 2011. That number continues to soar every day as more people worldwide are finding ways to “reduce, reuse, recycle, replenish and restore” the earth’s resources.

The Troy University Environmental Club is participating in Earth Week 2011 and will host several activities from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. today on the Bibb Graves Quad in front of the math/science building.

“We will have outdoor informational booths on the quad including the Choctawhatchee River Keepers Association, the Troy Environmental Science Program and Water Conservation and Recycling,” said Jamie Burchill, Environmental Club faculty advisor. “We will have a tie-dye booth where you can come by, make a dollar donation and having fun tie-dying a T-shirt.

“The Green Service Project on campus this Earth Day is the old unsellable textbook recycling drive. So students who have unsellable textbooks are asked and encouraged to ‘go green’ by dropping them off at the booth.”

University Earth Week 2011 activities will continue on Friday, Earth Day, with the Troy University’s Outdoor Informational booth on the quad and an afternoon “on the river.”

The Environmental Club participates in the Alabama PALS’ (People Against A Littered State) Adopt-A-Stream program on a section of the Conecuh River on Highway 29 south of Troy.

Burchill said the Adopt-A-Stream program is designed to eliminate, control and maintain litter at stream crossings in Alabama. There are currently more than 250 groups participating in the Alabama-Adopt-A-Stream Program.

“This valuable program assists in cleaning and maintaining our most valuable water resources, as well as being a positive factor in controlling debris in storm water runoff,” Burchill said. “The Environmental Club picks up littler along the Conecuh River Bridge twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. But, really, there’s not a lot of litter in that area because ecology classes in the university’s biology program make use of the resources there often.

“Earth Day is a 40-year tradition designed to make people more aware of the impact they have on the environment and to encourage commitments to maintaining and sustaining it. What an impact we could have if all of us would do something as simple as turning off the lights for one day.”

Those who would like to make a pledge to “Go green” may do so on line at earthday.org. There is no fee, just a pledge to Old Mother Earth.

Earth Week 2011 activities at Troy University are made possible through a Legacy grant.