The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Ryan Walls EARTH DAY: Students gathered together to celebrate Earth Day 2006 through different booths aimed at teaching students about environmental issues and raising awareness.

Walking around campus this week and last, you might have noticed the signs hanging around informing you of interesting Earth facts, such as that a single grocery store uses 65,500,000 bags every year.

Put on by Eco-Rollins and the Department of Environmental Studies, Earth Day 2006 took place last Thursday, from 12-2.

For those of you who somehow missed Mother Earth's celebration, you missed out on a dunk tank, booths that held information for those looking to become more environmentally friendly, tie-dye, pins and free bags that spell out your commitment to recycling on campus.

Past Earth Days on campus have included the signing on the Talliores Declaration, donations for local environmentally-friendly organizations, local bands, presentations by local groups such as the Wekiwa Springs State Park, and the Audobon Birds of Prey Center, according to the Rollins Recycling website.

Earth day begin in 1970, when organizations around the world celebrated the planet with their own local activities. This was in response to the meltdown of fuel rods in the Savannah River nuclear plant near Aiken, South Carolina.

Proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, the plan was to "Shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda." It was a plan of action that worked.

The first Earth Day on April 22nd 20 million Americans protested the continual degradation of the environment, demanding a change to the way the Earth was taken care of. Colleges across the nation organized rallies and protests against the "oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife," as stated in the history of Earth Day by www.earthday.net.

Despite the amazing success of Earth Days in the United States, it wasn't until the 1990's that they began to be celebrated on a global scale.

Organized by Dennis Hayes, who was the national organizer for the 1970 Earth Day, 200 million people in 141 countries all came together on April 22nd, 1990 to pledge their commitment to protecting the environment. This Earth Day resulted in a huge boost to recycling around the world, and allowed for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

This year these same groups have pledged their commitment to launch a three year campaign that will focus on solutions on how to tackle the problems of climate changes, according to the earth day website.

Other activities throughout Winter Park to celebrate Earth Day included a tree give away on Saturday, presented by the Winter Park Forestry Division, where trees where handed out to local Winter Park residences, as well as classes in gardening and proper tree-planting.

But maybe you missed out on Earth Day 2006, and you still want to help out the environment and do your part. Check out the Earth Day website to start planning your own Earth Day, check out environmentally friendly products or donate to a good cause.

Even though the school year is coming to a close, you can always sign up for the Eco-Rollins next year and help out with Earth Day 2007 and other projects to help the globe.

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