This Wednesday, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and the pandemic has not stopped the Stevens community from celebrating. SAVE (Sustainability, Activism, Volunteering, and Engineering) and the Entertainment Committee are working hard to keep the annual Earth Day traditions alive.
Usually, there is an interactive Earth Day event that takes place on campus every year. This year, however, will be the first virtual Earth Day celebration. SAVE and the Entertainment Committee will be hosting a social media campaign and a competition. The social media campaign will take place on both the SAVE and Entertainment Committee Instagram accounts. There will be a different theme each day of the week, and it will highlight ways to be more sustainable and have a positive impact on our planet.
Two members of the Entertainment Committee, Julia Dwight and Olivia Scott, explained that they have found unique ways to keep students involved in this year’s Earth Day celebration. They want to help teach students about the impacts their actions could have on the environment and encourage them to make choices that could have a more positive impact. The event will be informative yet entertaining, and students will have the opportunity to win prizes — that are eco-friendly of course! The competition is just one way to keep students engaged in the Earth Day festivities. “SAVE will be posting more informational posts about different ways we impact our environment, tips on how to be sustainable, and more while EC will be focusing more on student involvement. Throughout the week, we will be highlighting how different student organizations, businesses, and students are making a difference in their daily lives and how others can too! As for the competition, all undergraduates are invited to participate in fun prompts throughout the week to earn points towards prizes, including eco-friendly gift sets and reusable water bottles.”
Last year’s Earth Day event featured local vendors such as Ben and Jerry’s and Soul Curry, who provided vegan and vegetarian options. Dwight and Scott expressed that many people look forward to the food that is provided at the event; however, it is not possible to provide food to participants due to our current situation. “We know that one of the best parts of any event is food, so we’re starting off Monday with information and prompts all pertaining to sustainable eating! As for the rest of the days, we’ll be featuring art, fashion, Stevens activism, and a celebration on Earth Day for its 50th anniversary this year.”
SAVE and the Entertainment Committee were already planning this year’s Earth Day event when Stevens announced that all on-campus activity was suspended due to the pandemic. This did cause some setbacks, but fortunately, everyone was still willing to help plan the virtual event upon hearing this news. The Entertainment Committee expressed that some parts of the event were no longer possible and had to be cancelled, while others were able to be converted to the virtual platform. They also had to find ways to keep students engaged regardless of how far apart everyone may be.
“While we are disappointed that we could not celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we believe that it’s in the spirit of the holiday to be innovative and resourceful. While we had some ideas that just couldn’t be transferred over, such as a petting zoo, our social media campaign has opened new opportunities for better understanding our impact on the environment. In these interesting times, it’s more important than ever to think about how we affect the world around us and start a conversation about what we can do better. We hope that this new version of Earth Day can be a start!”
While our current situation has pushed this year’s Earth Day festivities online, SAVE and the Entertainment Committee have created an engaging virtual event that will provide tips on how to have a positive impact on our environment.
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