Mercyhurst University Sustainability

Join Mercyhurst University in celebrating Earth Day with our annual Sister Maura Smith Earth Day Lecture on Wednesday, April 22nd at 7 pm in the Walker Recital Hall!

This year, we welcome Katherine Jernigan from Transfarmation, a subgroup of Mercy for Animals, to discuss her work in dismantling the harmful industrial animal agriculture system. You can read about her work in a recent article from the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/19/why-iowa-farmers-swapped-pigs-mushrooms

Katherine's lecture will discuss the environmental, social, and economic benefits of transforming our food systems from the inside out.

With any questions, or for directions to the event space, please email Sustainability Coordinator Molly Tarvin at [email protected].

Do you know an aspiring scientist? Recommend them to Mercyhurst's second Girls in STEM event, for girls in 6-8th grade!

This event will be hosted on Saturday, March 21st on Mercyhurst's main campus. Students will have the chance to take hour-long lessons with faculty in Mercyhurst's Department of Natural Sciences. Lessons on geology, biology, physiology, and ecology will be offered!

Registration closes soon, so don't miss your chance to inspire the next generation! Please forward any questions to Dr. Rebecca Matecha at [email protected].

Registration can be completed at this link, or by scanning the QR code in the poster below: https://www.mercyhurst.edu/events/curiosity-unleashed-girls-unlocking-stem-0

Do you know a high school student who wants to learn more about the life of a Laker? Then refer them to the Day in Humanities!

On February 6th, Mercyhurst is opening its doors to high school students interested in Sustainability Studies, English, History, Anthropology, Religious Studies, and World Languages.

Students will go into our classrooms and engage in lessons with faculty and current Lakers. Then, after a lunch in the dining hall, they will listen to a panel of majoring students to learn more about the daily life, career expectations, coursework, and more!

Sign up at this link to take advantage of this special day! https://go.mercyhurst.edu/register/?id=3913218d-617f-47e4-88b7-a18285591761

This fall, Mercyhurst University's Department of Biology and Office of Sustainability led the effort to plant 152 new trees on campus!

These new trees will form the canopy of our next century, and include native species such as sugar maples, red oaks, flowering dogwoods, honey locusts, eastern hemlocks, and many more! All together, we have increased our native trees on campus by an impressive 39%!

Planting trees does more than just beautify the area. Dr. Chris Dolanc, professor of biology and environmental science, chose locations to prioritize shading sidewalks, parking lots, and roadways to alleviate the hot summer sun and urban heat island effect. He also planted trees close to the exposed sides of buildings to reduce heating and cooling costs by offering shade in the summer and wind blocks in the Erie winter.

The tree planting efforts began in the summer, when sustainability student worker Jocelyn conducted a tree inventory on our campus. Going from tree to tree, Jocelyn recorded the species, location, and diameter of our existing canopy. This information helped us understand the gaps of native species we needed to fill, and will also inform our response to tree damage in the future.

Planting lasted three weeks, with student volunteers joining our grounds crews to plant while the weather was still pleasant in late October and early November. The trees will spend the winter developing roots to better equip them for the spring rains and leaf development.

Many thanks to our planting volunteers, grounds crews, Landscaping Committee, and Johnston's Nursery for supplying the native trees. This project was a partnership with the City of Erie and was funded with a grant through the PA DCNR.

The best way to stay up to date with the Office of Sustainability is by reading our new Tree Hugger digital newsletter!

This student led publication is released on the first business day of each month and features contributed articles by students and employees. This month's edition highlights our newly installed purple martin birdhouse, an overview of a new course in Eco Art, and a reflection on ecological spirituality as it relates to our campus's Tiny Forest.

The QR code below is an evergreen link, and leads to a Google Drive Folder of all publications. Scan at the beginning of the month to find new releases, or to read the archive of old publications!

The Tree Hugger is managed and edited by Dylan, one the Office of Sustainability's student workers, who is pursuing degrees in both English and Communication with a minor in Sustainability Studies.

It was so much fun to host the Bear Scouts for a green tour! They were a very inquisitive and intelligent group!