Attend Earth Day Online University

RIDE Solutions offers all-day online university to learn how to live green

ROANOKE, Va. – Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizations are taking a different approach to show their gratitude to our planet.

Usually Earth Day, April 22 is celebrated with a festival, but RIDE Solutions in Roanoke came up with an alternative. It’s called Earth Day Online University.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. RIDE Solutions will post on their website, Facebook and Twitter every 15 minutes. Each post will feature either a link, video, worksheet or exercise from an organization to teach about sustainability and green living.

The information is from local and state organizations. Topics vary from recycling to farming and beekeeping.

RIDE Solutions’ director Jeremy Holmes says the point is to connect the community through education, just like the Earth Day festivals did.

“We’re going to come out of this at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later and so it’s still important to do all of these things to continue to take of the community and the natural world around us," says Holmes.

According to Brian Romans, an associate professor of sedimentary geoscience in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, carbon dioxide levels worldwide are falling dramatically because of countries’ stay-at-home orders.

While it’s too soon to tell how significant of a drop it is, this pandemic is bringing a new meaning to Earth Day.

Holmes says, “We might learn about taking walks in our neighborhood and local parks, going for hikes, appreciating the natural world around us. So this is an opportunity to still take something away from that and come out at the end still educated and maybe more positive.”

If you’re not able to catch the online university throughout the day, the information will remain on the website and Facebook after Earth Day.


About the Author:

Megan Woods is thrilled to be back home and reporting at Local 4. She joined the team in September 2021. Before returning to Michigan, Megan reported at stations across the country including Northern Michigan, Southwest Louisiana and a sister station in Southwest Virginia.