Green theme for launch of 'Celebration'

October 31, 2007

The University of New England will be launching its annual Celebration of Sharing fundraising activities for 2007 with a community event on Friday 2 November.

The event, to run from 11 am till 2 pm in UNE's Northern Courtyard, will have an environmental theme.

The University – in partnership with the Armidale Tree Group – will be supplying native trees and shrubs to be bought or sponsored for a tree-planting project in the New England area. The computer retailer Mac1 Armidale will make available the "elementree" online carbon calculator to give people a guide as to how many trees they should sponsor. Sun Jars (containing an LED light that charges in the sunlight during the day and glows at night) will be on sale, and there will be a "silent auction" in which the highest bidder will win a special hamper from the Grassroots Eco Store.

Registration for UNE's Carbon Challenge – another Celebration of Sharing activity – will be possible at this event, as well as online. To register, a group of four people must pay a total of $8. The prize will go to the group that creates the smallest amount of carbon emissions in a week.

There will be a barbecue lunch and entertainment featuring the well-known DJ Chocho.

The organisers of Friday's event - staff of UNE's Marketing and Public Affairs Directorate (MPA) - hope the University and wider communities will pitch in to help eclipse last year’s record-breaking Celebration of Sharing total of $9,381. As in past years, the NSW Premier’s Department will be providing a generous contribution to the fund-raising effort.

All proceeds this year will go to Street Beat and the Armidale Tree Group. Street Beat assists homeless youth by providing valuable support services. The Armidale Tree Group is a non-profit community nursery committed to reversing tree decline in the New England area. The cheques will be presented to the two organisations during Armidale's "Christmas Celebration in the Mall" on Friday 30 November.

The Celebration of Sharing, which embraces fundraising activities around the campus, is an initiative of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and coordinated through MPA. Staff should inform MPA's Tanya Henley about their own fundraising activities by the end of Friday 9 November.

For more information on UNE's Celebration of Sharing, its launch on Friday, or registration for the Carbon Challenge, contact Tanya on 6773 3909, or e-mail events@une.edu.au.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at October 31, 2007 11:33 AM