Earth Week events bring environmental awareness
Dr. Carl F. Cranor, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and faculty member of the Graduate Program in Environmental Toxicology at the University of California, Riverside speaks about his research in regulating toxic substances that cause birth defects and other health complications. (Oliver Yu)
Earth Day is officially today, but Saddleback College has been celebrating Mother Nature with environmentally-friendly events since Monday, and will continue to do so through Friday.
The events this week will be informing people about the human impact on the environment and preventative measures to keep Earth clean.
Guest speaker Dr. Carl Cranor, author of “Legally Poisoned: How the Law Puts US at Risk from Toxicants,” was on campus Monday discussing our everyday interactions with toxins.
If students missed the Campus Clean Up which was held yesterday, or Cranor’s discussion, students would be able to join in on the festivities tonight and for the rest of the week.
Disney’s “OCEANS” documentary will be shown tonight in Student Services Center, Room 212, at 7 p.m.
“People who come out to the movie night will learn about what is in our ocean and the impact different species have on each other,” said Candice Morey, president of the Environmental Awareness Club.
Of all the events this week Morey said she is most excited for the Go-Green Expo. This is the second annual expo and will take place on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Bowl.
The expo will feature local businesses, non-profit organizations, and innovative people who are doing their part to help save the planet. They will be educating visitors about current effective methods to reduce human impact on the plant.There will be free give aways and many environmentally-friendly products available for purchase.
The Environmental Awareness Club will close the week’s events with an informative Earth Day booth in the Quad on Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be Earth Day T-shirts available at the booth as visitors learn about how to help the environment, their homes, and save money.
Even after Earth Day and it’s celebrations have passed there are still many ways to help the environment on a daily basis.
“This up-and-coming green generation can start incorporating more responsible practices into their daily routines that will foster a lifetime of good earth stewardship,” Morey said.
Remembering to turn off lights, the television, and the computer after use are little actions that can help a lot. Also, taking the bus, walking, biking or carpooling all help reduce human impact on the environment.
Recycling cans, bottles, plastic, and newspapers support the effort. There are many benefits to recycling that include less trash being sent to the landfills and saving natural resources and elements such as trees and aluminum, Morey said.
The Earth’s natural resources and species need protection because once they are depleted there is no way to reproduce them. Preventative measures and thoughtful actions should be taken to keep the resources sustained.
“In the effort of protecting the environment, we should all consider the effect of our actions before making decisions,” Morey said.