Earth day has become an international campaign to help individuals of all ages become aware of the environmental problems our society has created across the world.
Since 1970, the US has celebrated this green revolution on April 22 in order to create a safer, healthier environment for future generations to live in.
With the word getting out, people all over the country are contributing to the occasion by using alternate sources of energy, recycling and going green to save the earth.
That’s just what happened last Tuesday when the environmental club held its annual Earth Day celebration on Shippensburg University’s campus.
Although it was a bit of a rainy day, there was everything from an electric car to a bicycle-powered smoothie maker.
Nick Iula, the director for dining services at SU, was running the pedal-powered bike at his Earth Day booth.
“We’re demonstrating alternate forms of energy versus fossil fuels and these are all sustainable forms of energy,” Iula said as he stood beside a student riding the bike. “You pedal the bike, generate electricity and it operates the blender which makes a smoothie.”
Another booth supported pottery and everything that was used to create it was recycled or used earth friendly fuels to fire them.
“It’s really cool because everything here is recycled,” said Kevin Jurnack, junior art major at SU running the pottery booth. “[It’s] recycled clay and recycled glazes. The glazes were fired in a veggie kiln which is biodiesel fueled, which is also recycled. We’re really helping out the earth right now.”
Other than booths dealing with recycled items and biodegradable fuels, the Earth Day event also held a recyclable fashion show with the three dimensional design class supported by art professor Benjamin Culbertson.
Christen Smith, student of the three-dimensional design class, took part in the show with her recycled dress.
“My classmates made outfits out of recyclable materials for the runway show,” Smith said after the show was over. “My dress is made from phone book pages and it has a phone cord as the belt and my shirt says call me maybe.”
Students of the class were encouraged to design recyclable wear to express their creativity for the show.
Along with the recyclable fashion show, live music was played at the event including the piano, guitar and singing.
“I’ve been playing piano for 14 years,” said Stuart Ryerse, the 19-year-old musician at the event.
Ryerse wooed the audience with his piano skills and other artists stepped up to share their musical talent as a part of a peaceful gathering among students.
All in all the event turned out well and the students of SU created a heightened sense of awareness among those who are unfamiliar with the holiday.
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