Earth Week spreads awareness

Environmental awareness was prevalent on campus April 19-24 due to the ECO Club expanding the national holiday, Earth Day, into a week. Earth Week 2008 kicked off with a trip visiting an exhibit on Global Climate Change at the Boston Museum of Science on Saturday, April 19. On Monday, the food waste was measured in the cafeteria, and on Tuesday the cafeteria went without trays. Professor of Environmental Science and ECO Club advisor Catherine Owen Koning said that "the waste was cut in half" when the trays were eliminated. Koning said, "The main point of Earth Week is to celebrate what we've done, what we've been doing, to create awareness, and to start thinking about what to do next." A forum about how the community will "step towards sustainability and climate neutrality" was held on Wednesday along with display tables, music, various speakers, food, yoga, an ultimate Frisbee contest, and a road side cleanup. Some of the speakers included Professor of Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England Tom Wessels, Environmental Science major junior Kristen Bean, and Koning. Also, the Director of facilities Doug Lear spoke about what the university has done to reduce the energy use on campus. Amongst the display tables were the Monadnock Conservatory, Stonewall Farm, Sodexho, Sunflowers Café, local farmer Tracy Smith, Rosaly's Organic Farm in Peterborough, and even a few Franklin Pierce students. There were a few petitions being signed including one involving global climate change. According to ECO Club member sophomore Erin Whyman, the petition will be sent to the New Hampshire state senators. It requests that congress "mandate laws to create a carbon neutral environment," said Whyman. Coinciding with President Hagerty's recent signing of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment, agreement cards also circulated the forum for people to sign promising to help with the Franklin Pierce Commitment to Climate Neutrality. The cards stated ways for how the community can contribute to this cause. According to Koning, the shuttle buses will start to use bio diesel, the recycling program will be upgraded to reduce green house gases, and Sodexho will attempt to eliminate Styrofoam in the cafeteria. Earth Week will occur next year as long as there is "a lot of student enthusiasm" for the event said Koning. Whyman said that the best way to spread awareness beyond the Franklin Pierce campus is to, "do it yourself. Set an example, and be a role model." She also said that she felt Earth Week effectively spreads awareness; however, it does not mean that people will definitely take the necessary steps toward helping the environment. In Koning's article titled, "Earth Day: Moving Beyond Recycling, Bringing Deeper Change," she said, "But, despite many 'green' efforts and achievements over the last decade, we have only begun this journey. An enormous amount of work still lies ahead. Those of us who recycle religiously, use only compact fluorescent light bulbs, and buy organic, may feel pretty superior, but we are in danger of promoting what philosopher Arne Naess ridiculed as 'shadow ecology'- ideas that do not address our core values and fail to promote the fundamental changes in personal and community norms needed to achieve true sustainability - the philosophy of 'deep ecology.'" For more information on Earth Week, contact Koning at Konningc@Franklinpierce.edu.