Representatives from campus
organizations ranging from Asian American Sisters in Action, the
Campus Conservation Coalition, the Center for Environmental Literacy,
and the Student Coalition for Action to the Student Government
Association, the Student Organization for Animal Rights, the Frances
Perkins Scholars Association, the Network, MassPIRG, the Student
Government Association, and La Unidad have joined forces to organize
Earth Week, a global MHC celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of
Earth Day. Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 to
raise the nation's consciousness about environmental issues.
Environmental activist and lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kicked off
the Earth Day celebration with his lecture at MHC March 24. Earth Week activities will
run April 17 - 22 and will culminate in an all-campus luncheon picnic
Friday, April 28, on Skinner Green. The Center for Environmental
Literacy (CEL) and the president's office are cosponsors of the
picnic. The CEL is also cosponsoring Earth Week along with a number
of student groups. See the CSJ calendar for details about
Earth Week events. Highlights of Earth Week
include an all-day "trash demonstration"; a "deep ecology" workshop;
a global-warming forum; showings of the environmental films The
Medicine Man and The Lorax; a campus wildlife habitat walk
led by Peter Houlihan, CEL program coordinator; a performance by
Marky Ramone; and performances by two punk bands. During the "trash
demonstration," which will be held on the green on Monday, April 17,
trash and recyclables will be collected from the residence halls and
brought out onto the green. The purpose is to give a visual
demonstration of how much trash is produced in the dorms. A display
with information about recycling and waste on campus is planned for
the Blanchard Campus Center. "Through this project, we
hope to educate the campus community about the sheer volume of waste
produced here and the importance of recycling and waste reduction,"
says Robin Claremont '00, chair of the Campus Conservation Coalition,
which is organizing the event. In addition, the Student
Coalition for Action has been working with Dining Services to provide
the MHC community with Fair Trade-certified coffee throughout Earth
Week. "Fair Trade coffee ties into larger environmental issues
because most coffee is grown in areas of South America that are home
to the world's remaining rainforests, and coffee production is
typically a cause of clear-cutting of these forests," says Autumn
Gonzalez '02, cochair of the coalition. "With Fair Trade-certified
coffee, the farmers grow their coffee under the canopy and do less
damage to the forests. The Student Coalition for Action has also been
working with Dining Services to provide this coffee in Blanchard Cafe
next year, so students can support Fair Trade throughout the year." "I believe that campus-wide
participation in Earth Week events is vitally important to an
increasing awareness of our role in the global ecosystem," Claremont
says. "As a community, we must realize the impact each one of us has
on the environment and be aware of ways in which we can lessen our
'ecological footprint.' At Mount Holyoke we should be active
participants not only in academic endeavors but also in the pursuit
of responsibility to society and the planet."
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