Students Celebrate Earth Day

By Lian Mlodzienski
News Editor

This past Thursday, East Stroudsburg University held its Earth Day event on the Shawnee Quad. “Leaf No Trace” was the motto this year and the theme was “saving species.”

Susan Ambrose, a member of the Earth Day Committee, said, “The people that visited seemed genuinely interested, so I hope next year’s Earth Day Festival can showcase even more local companies and organizations.”

At 12:00 PM, masters of ceremonies Lauren Wilson, a senior majoring in Recreation Services Management from Newtown, New Jersey, and Kristina Roy, a freshman majoring in biology from Greentown, Pennsylvania, welcomed everyone to the event.

Megan Wilson, a graduate student from Rutgers University who is majoring in biology, was the first presenter. Her 15 minute speech was about the decline of the monarch butterflies.

The next two speakers were both from the Monroe County Conservation District. Darryl Speicher, an environmental educator, spoke about the species of concern in Monroe County. The last speaker of the day, John Motz, a resource conservation specialist, spoke about water.

Between these 15 minute speeches there were three performances. The first was by Kenneth Hatt and Friends who provided a jazz/instrumental for the event. After the second speech, Christian JosephsSpaulding, a freshman and commuter student, took the stage and played classical rock. Lastly, after Motz’s speech, Northern Revival, a local band, performed indie rock/blues music.

Jordon Benoit, a freshman majoring in Computer Security, said, “Even though the weather was uncooperative, I am glad that we still had the opportunity to play. I would also like to thank Nakiya Robley for being able to help us out and play drums after I sprained my wrist, leaving me unable to perform.”

While many were focused on the stage, there were some other activities. Students from the Mekeel Child Care Center joined in the Earth Day celebration by running obstacle courses, bike riding, and learning to recycle.

There were many booths at Earth Day this year. They included ESU’s Biology Club, Marine Science Club, Chemistry Club, Campus Activities Board, Charity Water, Stony Acres, and more.

Some tables had free giveaways, while others had activities or even information on internships.

Biology Club provided the main attraction. Not far from the horseshoe of club and business tables was a table covered with animals, such as the porcupine, weasel, and red-tailed hawk. All of these fuzzy friends were brought by the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center. The wildlife center is a sanctuary where injured or orphaned wild animals may receive the care that they need until they can care for themselves.

Casey Cruz, the head of the Earth Day Committee, said, “The appearance of the local high school with their Clean Air Act petition as well as Pocono Wildlife Center with their live wildlife animal demonstrations really helped make the event a worthwhile experience!”

Madeline Constantine, the Stony Acres Program Coordinator, said, “It proved to be an intimate gathering of people interested in promoting environmental awareness. This is so important because we need the earth; it does not need us to survive.”

Email Lian at:
lmlodzien1@live.esu.edu