Mercyhurst launches sustainability camp to empower Erie’s future environmental leaders

In keeping with its long-standing commitment to sustainability, Mercyhurst University is launching a new youth camp June 16-20 designed to educate and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
 
Rooted in the legacy of Sister Maura Smith, RSM, and guided today by the university’s Laudato Si’ Committee and Office of Sustainability, the initiative marks a new chapter in community-centered sustainability education.
 
The camp is designed for students having completed grades 6-8. They will split time between Mercyhurst’s picturesque campus and the Glinodo Center, an open green space owned by the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, where they can experience hands-on access to ecosystems, forests, and bluffs.
 
This camp introduces the three pillars of sustainability at a critical point in students’ lives, explained camp director and Mercyhurst Sustainability Coordinator Molly Tarvin. Students are old enough to notice the importance of a healthy natural world and may have learned about climate change in school. By introducing sustainability as a study of the environment, the economy, and society, camp guides hope to explain the importance of our actions and how best to live an informed, interconnected, and low-impact life.
 
Lessons include a green tour of campus, constructing bucket gardens, upcycling tee shirts into crafts, journaling with homemade paper, and conducting tree-core research. Faculty from Environmental Science, Geology, and Anthropology will lead morning lessons to widen student’s understanding of holistic sustainability. 
 
“To live a truly sustainable life, young people must understand the complex relationships between human actions, systemic forces, and the natural world,” Tarvin said. “This camp offers them the tools not only to understand these issues but also to act on them—confidently and with hope.”
 
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how sustainability connects to their daily lives and communities. Rather than leaving students overwhelmed by the scope of global challenges, the program aims to empower them with practical strategies and a mindset rooted in resilience and possibility.
 
“We don’t just want students to understand the problems—we want them to envision solutions,” Tarvin added. “By grounding them in knowledge and action, we inspire them toward a future where they can make a difference—in their homes, their schools, and the world.”
 
The cost is $45 per student and includes lunch. Register here before June 1.

PHOTO: School children view one of Mercyhurst’s Tower Gardens, which expand access to freshly grown produce year-round.