Earth Day is a worldwide celebration of the knowledge and actions taken towards improving the natural environment in which we liveFounded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, the first Earth Day celebration took place on April 22, 1970.
"Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor the resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself," said Senator Gaylord Nelson in the article, "How the First Earth Day Came About."
Earth Day has been an annual event at Washington College in the past. Each year there is something unique about the Earth Day festivities.
Last year, Earth Day celebrators were camped out on the floor of the cove and the campus center due to an all day downpour.
This year at WC a small group of students decided to put together a small Earth Day celebration.
Students brainstormed many ideas for Earth Day, ranging from having bands playing all day for a week to having a picnic.
In the midst of all the brainstorming, the club Students Promoting Earth Day, affectionately known as SPED, was formed. The SGA approved SPED as a club with a budget of less than $900 to throw the event.
SPED met regularly to organize dates, times, bands, activities, etc. A bake sale was organized for the Monday after spring break. Clubs and organizations were asked to help out by having a variety of booths and activities at the Earth Day celebration.
The activities offered at the celebration include the following.
The Student Environmental Alliance set up petitions for saving the local Unicorn Lake, as well as craft time. The Education Club hosted a story hour for children. Students were able to decorate their own flowerpot.
Amnesty International had a table of informational flyers and stickers. A group of WC students raising money to support the Special Olympics made fresh strawberry and banana smoothies on the Kent Hall porch. The Service Council had finger painting for students to participate in.
Altogether, there was a large support of Earth Day from the student community.
Among the different clubs and organizations that had information tables, crafts and fundraisers, SPED organized various activities for the campus, including performances by various bands.
The bands Broken Marble, Seismic Sanchez and All Together Spent provided music for the day. Students were able to relax, listen to music and play for an entire day.
Trash and recyclables had been collected for trash sculptures. Different odds and ends had been collected in the weeks prior to Earth Day to make creations. A few children put together an angel.
Students were also able to construct a few trash monsters and advertisements to protect the earth.
Students brought old T-shirts to 'recycle.' Tie dye buckets and bottles were around for students to decorate shirts. Kites, frisbees, and bubbles were all laying around for students to pick up and add to the day with.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782