Working in a tradition of trailblazers, it is not hard to see
why environmentally conscious students on campus can turn Earth Day
into Earth Week.
Contributing to a grassroots movement over 35 years old,
students are taking advantage of the whole week to share facts
about current policy issues and educate others about water
conservation and environmentally friendly practices.
Over 15 student organizations are hosting a variety of events
this week, from fairs to bike rides.
The latest advancement in the movement is a nationwide virtual
march billed as Stop Global Warming. Founded by Laurie David, wife
of HBO’s Larry David, and joined by politicians and Hollywood
personalities, students can virtually march on Washington via
e-mail.
"We are going at this problem every which way, from top down and
bottom up, the government won’t change until the people demand it,"
said Lindsay Guetschow, outreach director for the Web site
StopGlobalWarming.org.
"Once you know the facts, and you know the science, you can’t
turn your back on it," Guetschow said.
This is the mentality UCLA Earth Day organizers say they
share.
To increase student interest in this year’s events, a special
Earth Day Task Force adopted a theme for the events that strikes
close to home: "Blue + Gold = Green."
Activities that involve students are particularly important on
university campuses, said Lorna Apper, co-founder and current vice
president of the geography club.
"If there are not idealists on university campuses, the general
population will not have an interest in important issues. It is our
duty to raise awareness in society, specifically how we are using
our water, air and land. It should start with the student
community," Apper said.
Kicking off the week is a fair celebrating student-driven
movements by educating people about the delicate natural
eco-systems that sustain life.
"E3 – which stands for ecology, economy, equity – is a moniker
which can commonly be seen chalked on school surfaces.
The club behind the motto has events planned throughout the week
that are meant to be a "call to action," said Dorothy Le,
chairwoman of E3 and director of the Undergraduate Sustainability
Coalition.
"We want to remind students that the earth is our home, and that
we all need to take responsibility for our actions," Le added.
There will be an "Earth Fair" which includes a display of hybrid
cars near Pauley Pavilion, a bicycle motocross show at 1 p.m., as
well as food and music in Bruin Plaza today.
Guetschow said that while college students have the drive to
passionately inspire others to take action, they should also view
protecting the environment as their responsibility.
"(College students) can motivate a huge number of young people,
which is important because they are the ones that will be
affected," Guetschow said.
On Wednesday, the Earth Day Coalition, made up of UCLA students,
will be hosting three guest speakers, in conjunction with the
spring speakers series offered by the Environmental Bruin.
These speakers include Vandana Shiva, a physicist and activist
in the movement for biodiversity conservation and
farmers’ rights, Satish Kumar, who completed a
8,000-mile peace pilgrimage walking from India to America, and John
Seed, who founded the rainforest action network.
All three will talk with students during a question-and-answer
session about the role students can play in each movement.
Participants in the UCLA events are supported by both activist
and academic groups.
In fact, the geography department’s environmental sciences
division will be offering information about classes offered on
campus.
"Geography is a discipline that focuses on humans’s connection
to the Earth’s system, including the nature of sustainability,"
Apper said.
Thursday, at 7 p.m. there will also be an "Earth Ride" – a bike
ride around Westwood culminating with a party at 9 p.m. at the UCLA
Co-op.