Sierra students celebrate Earth Day
Marshall University Sierra Student Coalition members encourage students to recycle, reuse
Ashley Deem
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News
BY ASHLEY DEEM
The Parthenon
Members of Marshall's Sierra Student Coalition celebrated Earth Day Tuesday by encouraging students to recycle and support sources of sustainable energy.
The group displayed signs around Buskirk Field, educating students about practices that harm the environment.
One sign stated that only 6 percent of used plastic bags are recycled while another display stated that Americans throw away 25 million bottles every hour instead of recycling them.
Some of the signs displayed also encouraged students to take simple steps to help the environment by purchasing used textbooks, turning off computers when not in use, recycling plastic bags and bottles and using fluorescent light bulbs rather than incandescent light bulbs.
Freshman Cory Roberts, member of the Sierra Student Coalition, said the purpose of the displays was to promote awareness about environmental issues and help students understand they can positively impact the environment.
"Helping the environment can be as simple as turning off the light," Roberts said.
As part of the Earth Day celebration, students could also speak with Rod Harless, a democratic candidate for the state senate for Kanawha County.
A focus of Harless' platform is prohibiting mountaintop removal because of its destruction of water supplies and forests, Harless said.
Harless said that in five years, every state in the U.S. will experience a water shortage. In about 20 years, the water shortage problem will extend worldwide.
Jordan Rinehart, a member of the Citizen Action Group, was also present at the Earth Day celebration to register students to vote as Tuesday was the last day to register to vote in West Virginia before the state primary, May 13.
Throughout the celebration, local bands "The Good Ol' Boys and a Girl" and "The Buttonflies" entertained onlookers.
To get attention for the Earth celebration, group member Jan Dzierzak said he created and strolled around campus in a large costume reminiscent of the "zords" from the popular '90s show 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.'
Tuesday evening, the group showed the film "Kilowatt Ours," a documentary about the consequences of a coal-powered economy, to wrap up the Earth Day celebration.
The group began working on the Earth Day event about a month ago, Roberts said.
Because of continual group growth, the day was a success, Roberts said. At the beginning of the semester, the group consisted of three members, but the group now has about 15 members who consistently contribute to the group efforts.
Recently, the group has also worked with the Marshall administration to help make the campus more environmentally friendly. The administration is in the process of organizing a recycling committee, Roberts said.
Roberts said the Sierra Student Coalition's mission is to take care of the place in which they live.
"(We are) pretty much just helping the earth out," Roberts said.
Ashley Deem can be contacted at deem11@marshall.edu.
The Parthenon
Members of Marshall's Sierra Student Coalition celebrated Earth Day Tuesday by encouraging students to recycle and support sources of sustainable energy.
The group displayed signs around Buskirk Field, educating students about practices that harm the environment.
One sign stated that only 6 percent of used plastic bags are recycled while another display stated that Americans throw away 25 million bottles every hour instead of recycling them.
Some of the signs displayed also encouraged students to take simple steps to help the environment by purchasing used textbooks, turning off computers when not in use, recycling plastic bags and bottles and using fluorescent light bulbs rather than incandescent light bulbs.
Freshman Cory Roberts, member of the Sierra Student Coalition, said the purpose of the displays was to promote awareness about environmental issues and help students understand they can positively impact the environment.
"Helping the environment can be as simple as turning off the light," Roberts said.
As part of the Earth Day celebration, students could also speak with Rod Harless, a democratic candidate for the state senate for Kanawha County.
A focus of Harless' platform is prohibiting mountaintop removal because of its destruction of water supplies and forests, Harless said.
Harless said that in five years, every state in the U.S. will experience a water shortage. In about 20 years, the water shortage problem will extend worldwide.
Jordan Rinehart, a member of the Citizen Action Group, was also present at the Earth Day celebration to register students to vote as Tuesday was the last day to register to vote in West Virginia before the state primary, May 13.
Throughout the celebration, local bands "The Good Ol' Boys and a Girl" and "The Buttonflies" entertained onlookers.
To get attention for the Earth celebration, group member Jan Dzierzak said he created and strolled around campus in a large costume reminiscent of the "zords" from the popular '90s show 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.'
Tuesday evening, the group showed the film "Kilowatt Ours," a documentary about the consequences of a coal-powered economy, to wrap up the Earth Day celebration.
The group began working on the Earth Day event about a month ago, Roberts said.
Because of continual group growth, the day was a success, Roberts said. At the beginning of the semester, the group consisted of three members, but the group now has about 15 members who consistently contribute to the group efforts.
Recently, the group has also worked with the Marshall administration to help make the campus more environmentally friendly. The administration is in the process of organizing a recycling committee, Roberts said.
Roberts said the Sierra Student Coalition's mission is to take care of the place in which they live.
"(We are) pretty much just helping the earth out," Roberts said.
Ashley Deem can be contacted at deem11@marshall.edu.
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