Students unite to better the world

    Thirty-seven years ago amidst the chaos of a country protesting war, 20 million Americans turned their attention away from Vietnam and participated in a different kind of movement. April 22, 1970, was the beginning of Earth Day, founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson to finally put conservation of the environment on the national political agenda.         On April 23, 2007, the tradition of Earth Day was carried on in a belated celebration sponsored by the GCSU Anthropology Club.
    The warm temperatures made the setting conducive for the  celebration that was held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Arts & Sciences building.
    “This is the first time the Anthropology Club has done anything like this,” said Dr. Jeffrey Blick, a government and sociology professor. “It seems to be going really well. People are asking about Earth Day and picking up brochures; it’s great.”
    Colorful flyers were available at the Anthropology Club’s table that gave information about the club and promoted upcoming events that they are putting together, such as a film festival being organized for Fall 2007. There was also a petition for students to sign in support of adding anthropology as a major at GCSU.
    “This is the only liberal arts university in Georgia and it does not have an
Anthropology major,” said Andrew Benesh a senior psychology major and vice president of the Anthropology Club. “But the petition is doing well, we have over the 100 signatures that we needed.”
    The Environmental Club  was also represented.Spectators were able to get their hands dirty in the spirit of Earth Day by planting a succulent plant to take home with them.
    “We’ve had a fantastic turn-out today,” said Sara Fleetwood, a junior art major and member of the Environmental Science Club. “ Lots of people have taken a plant. It’s really good to see people are interested, we should all want to be involved in preserving this planet. I want my kids to have green grass to play on and not be sweating in December.”
    By noon, the appropriately named band, “Beautiful to Live” took the stage and helped keep the Earth Day celebration going.           
    Four decades after the initial Earth Day celebration, the tradition continues and is still celebrated in the same grassroots style that started it all.             Students were brought together and provided an environment for informative conversation on serious problems affecting the earth today. The event also helped to slow thefrenzied pace of the college lifestyle and just take time to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.   

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 27 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry