Earth Day Event Educates Students and Spreads Fun

Photo Credit/ Peggy Diaco

By Peggy Diaco

Staff  Writer 

 

April’s showers took a break last Wednesday. afternoon for the Earth Day event at the quad.  The sweet smell of spring flowers wafted on the breeze as ESU student clubs and organizations came together to educate faculty and students on local and global environmental issues.

Beach Bod, a band made up of students from Northampton Community College played live music while people strolled among the tables.

Grave stones littered the grass to demonstrate the destructive waste of everyday products such as disposable diapers, tires, styrofoam and cigarette butts.

Graduate student Weston Strubert representing the environmental club explained their latest project of creating a total of 45 plaques naming the many species of trees on campus.

“The environmental club researched all the tree names and the student activities association paid to have the plaques made,” said Strubert, “The SAA will add to the plaques every year.”

On Arbor Day, April 28, there will be a grand opening of this project. Booklets with a map of walking paths on campus marking the location of the tree plaques will be distributed.

Danielle Leone talked about taxidermy at the Schisler Museum table where animal bones and skins were displayed.  She held up a mold and explained how the animals were put together for display in the museum.

“It requires lots of skill to make the animals look as they did when they were alive,” said Leone.

WES 90.3, the campus radio station held a rubber ducky contest where participants could win free CD’s.

Stony Acres is a recreation site that is free for students to visit and enjoy.

“Hiking, camping, fishing and snowshoeing are just a small sample of activities that are available to students,” said Joa Crockett, “events are posted on campus, advertised on Twitter and you can check the ESU website.”

A table piled with recycled clothes was available for students to pick through and choose to take if they liked something.

Nursing student, Lily Keefer and public health student, Alliah Rone, sold tee shirts and buttons and welcomed donations to Charity Water. Charity Water is a world organization that helps third world countries get clean drinking water.

Clean ocean water was the focus of the marine biology table.  They had a display that demonstrated how ocean water is absorbing too much CO2, which makes the water more acidic.

“Acidic water destroys the shells of sea life and coral reefs,” said Caroline Love, “Using environmentally safe cleaners and cutting back on livestock and dairy products can help.”

Biology major, Sydney Priester was all about the bees at a table sponsored by Alpha Sigma Tau.

“The bee population in the last five years has become endangered because of out of control spraying of insects and invasive insect species,” said Priester, “Every plant requires bees for pollination.  If we lose the bees, we lose the plants.  Losing the plants will have a negative domino effect on all life,” said Priester.

 

Earth Day is celebrated annually worldwide on April 22 to celebrate the earth’s environment and to focus worldwide attention on the problems of pollution and species extinction.

 

Email Peggy at:

mdiaco@esu.edu