A number of UW-Madison student groups honored the 40th anniversary of
Earth Day with campus events Thursday.
The Wisconsin Alumni Student Board’s All-Campus Party recognized Earth
Day with a community clean-up event sponsored by the UW-Madison
Morgridge Center for Public Service.
Approximately 200 student volunteers gathered at Library Mall to receive
trash bags and gloves, and the volunteers were assigned to pick up
trash in one of 10 zones on campus.
Sarah Biebesheimer, a student volunteer, said helping the environment
was emotionally rewarding.
“I feel really good. I think a lot more people should try this. It’s
beautiful outside, and instead of just sitting around doing nothing, I’m
doing something good,” Biebesheimer said.
Jamie Gibbons, ACP special projects intern, said the clean-up event was a
way to get students involved in and informed about the community
environment.
“[The event is] to get people passionate about their environment and
about the place that they live. That’s why we wanted to do it on campus,
because you should want to live in a clean environment. We wanted to
raise awareness about that, “ Gibbons said.
ACP also held a seed-planting event Thursday sponsored by the UW
Horticulture Club. The event taught students how plants help the earth
and how to protect them.
Gibbons said it was important to honor Earth Day with events to raise
environmental awareness.
“It is so important that younger generations really learn about it, and
especially college generations. They are going to be the most
influential in any environmental changes that we make as a society,”
Gibbons said.
The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group is hosting an Earth
Day event Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. on Library Mall to inform
students of different ways to be more eco-friendly through recycling and
conservation.
WISPIRG encourages students to bring used ink cartridges, cell phones
and digital cameras to recycle. The event will also feature four bands,
several activities and free food.
