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Names fill the guest list at the Herrick Conservatory, a greenhouse on campus and an escape from the February cold for students.

Hosting a variety of plants and some fish, the Herrick Conservatory is a greenhouse connected to Cunningham Hall at Kent State, used for educational purposes, research and outreach programs.

As the university continues to participate in the Race To Zero Waste, a competition for colleges to reduce institutional waste, the Herrick Conservatory is working to inform students about sustainability.

“Our purpose here at the conservatory is to educate and teach people about the ways we can help to live more sustainably,” Horticultural Facilities Director Melissa Davis said.

Davis mentioned many programs the facility has for students to practice sustainable living, such as gardening.

“We try to promote gardening, as well as providing fresh foods and resources for people who may not have land to farm or have farms very close,” she said.

Faculty and students in the Department of Biological Sciences conduct their studies in the conservatory’s research space, which is closed to visitation.

Davis said she loves the conservatory because “it’s open to our university community all year long during these winter months, and students can come here and visit.”

Quintin Page is a reporter. Contact Quintin at qpage@kent.edu.