The mutual love for the Earth was shared between students during the Earth Day Block party held together by the Eco-Reps and the Student Activities Council (SAC) on Friday, April 21.
While SAC was hosting their annual Spring Fest before the big concert held on Saturday, April 22, the Eco-Reps and other sustainability-focused organizations set up camp over by Oya Hill on Appian Way.
Sophomore and Secretary for the Eco-Reps Chloe March said this event, “Brings a voice to local people and creates a culture of sustainability and environmental protection on campus.”
Organizations on and off campus were featured at this year’s Earth Day Celebration.
Student organizations like the Outing Club, Green Bikes, WKNH and various Fraternity and Sorority organizations had tables.
Off campus organizations like the Harris Center, Elm City Compost and Clean Energy Keene also had tables.
Students were able to practice sustainability at WKNH’s table by using upcycled records to paint on and use as decorations.
Another table had students make tote bags out of old T-shirts.
The Eco-Reps handed out succulents to students that came to their table as well.
Before coming to the Earth Day Block Party, first-years Amana Talukder, Katherine Whitney and Ellie Burns were at the Mushroom Meander, an event in which students and a guide from the Harris Center walked around campus looking at local mushrooms.
They all stopped at tables and grabbed seeds, as well as potted plants and succulents that were offered.
“Personally, my mother has a green thumb so you know I’d like to take after my mother one day and have a green thumb,” Talukder said.
For Earth Day, Talukder said she likes to spend the day outside and “reconnect with nature and kind of give back to mother nature.”
Whitney said she loves being outside as an environmental studies major, so being outside, especially with how warm the weather was outside, is what Earth Day means to her.
Burns said as an environmental studies major as well, she is very big into conservation.
“Anything that really can help motivate and educate people on how important it is to conserve our ecosystem and world we live in matters a lot to me,” Burns said.
As a holiday, Earth Day has its origins in 1970 when 20 million people across America marched in support of regulations that would help the environment after 150 years of nothing, according to Earthday.org
U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, helped spawn the movement with his concerns around a deteriorating environment in America. From there, Nelson, U.S. House Representative Pete McCloskey of California, and student activist Denis Hayes helped organize teach-ins at college campuses. Hayes recognized the potential and made it more widespread creating the Earth Day movement in April of 1970. according to Earthday.org
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, Because of the Earth Day movement in 1970, the EPA was born and so were the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and various other environmental laws and regulations.
Tim Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com
