AU faculty, staff, and students are invited to celebrate Earth Day where it began.

The seed of the environmental event took root nearly 55 years ago at Airlie, the 300-acre property in  Warrenton, Virginia, that was gifted to AU in 2016 as part of the Change Can’t Wait campaign. The brainchild of environmental activist Gaylord Nelson—a former Wisconsin senator, who also served as the state’s governor—Earth Day was designated an annual celebration in 1970. About one billion people around the world turn out each year on April 22 to support environmental protections.

AU will host the inaugural Earth Day Weekend at Airlie from April 19–21 to commemorate the property’s contributions to environmental history. A variety of ticketed and free events include a wine tasting, sunrise yoga, hayrides, face painting, and a photo booth. AU community members can also enjoy special rates at Airlie ($119 per night) by using promo code CLAWED at checkout.

Eight students in SOC professor Gemma Puglisi’s public relations portfolio class, which is working with Airlie as a client this semester, came up with the idea for the weekend.  

“We wanted to improve their online presence and customer loyalty,” Puglisi said. The most important thing about working with a client “is to raise their visibility and take it to the next level. This weekend is going to be a really great opportunity [to do that].”

The students visited Airlie early in the semester and pitched an annual Earth Day event as part of host recommendations that includes expanding Airlie’s social media presence and improving signage. Puglisi’s class also urged Airlie to lean its history through events for the AU community.

“We’re excited that AU students and staff will be joining us this weekend, fulfilling a major goal of ours to strengthen the connection between AU and Airlie,” said event coleader Sera Bunca, SOC/BA ’24. 

After pitching the Earth Day idea to Airlie, the class has taken a leading role in making it happen, from planning events to promoting the weekend to members of the media and the campus community.

“We have been able to gain practical, hands-on PR experience, which is so important as we prepare to graduate and work as full-time PR professionals,” said event coleader Hannah Mahoney, SOC/BA ’24. “We wouldn’t have been able to gain that experience if it weren’t for Airlie giving us the opportunity to work with them.”

Six classes across campus have now worked with the historic hotel and farm to harness its potential as a key part of AU’s future.  

“Over the past two years, many AU and Airlie team members have been a part of our efforts to ensure Airlie’s long-term viability as a differentiator for AU,” Bronté Burleigh-Jones, Kogod/BS ’91, MBA ’93, CFO, vice president, and treasurer wrote in an April 5 community message. “Their efforts have significantly improved Airlie’s integration with AU’s educational and student life mission.”

Learn more about Airlie Earth Day Weekend and sign up for events here.