Celebrate Earth Day on April 20

After the year of buzz surrounding An Inconvenient Truth, the Oscar-winning documentary on global warming, this year’s Earth Day will undoubtedly have greater meaning than ever before. To build more awareness in the BU community, Boston University’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the Environmental Student Organization are hosting Earth Day activities on campus on Friday, April 20.

“Global warming is definitely a problem; the scientific community has agreed upon this for years,” says Gitte Venicx (CAS’07), student recycling coordinator for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. “That being said, it is also important to keep in mind the scale of global warming. Global warming is a gradual process. You will not wake up tomorrow to 70-degree average winter temperatures in Boston  — the increase in average global temperatures is on the scale of a couple of degrees. This will not affect your daily life significantly, but it will affect the habitat ranges of many plants and animals around the world.”

The stakes are higher than ever for human beings this year — the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in February stating, with 90 percent certainty, that carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases from human activity have been responsible for global warming since the 1950s.

“As individuals, we can take personal action to make sure that we limit our ecological footprints and carbon emissions. However, we also need to push for our schools, communities, and government to do the same,” says Venicx. “There are a lot of ways to do this, such as by writing letters to elected officials, voting with your dollars by supporting environmentally conscious companies, spreading the word and encouraging others to join you in your efforts, and joining rallies like Step It Up!”

Venicx says the environmental-awareness community at BU has been slowly growing over the past year. “Earth Day is a chance to showcase the environmental community to the rest of the University,” she says. “It is also a great way to educate students about environmental issues both on campus and off and to show them how they can get involved.”

Students can play an important role in preserving and improving the environment by first understanding the impact they have on nature. To see if you are using more than your fair share of the Earth’s resources, take an online quiz at www.myfootprint.org.

“Being a college student myself, I know there are a few areas we could all work on and conserving electricity is definitely a big one,” says Venicx. “It’s easy to leave your computer and your lights on all the time, especially if you live in a dorm, but even if we don’t pay for the wasted electricity directly, there are huge environmental costs, not to mention tuition increases!”

BU groups participating in Earth Day events include the Astronomy Club, the BU Democrats, the BU Outing Club, the Environmental Student Organization, the Harriet E. Richards House, the International Student Volunteers, the Organic Gardening Club, and the Public Health Initiative. Outside organizations, such as MassPIRG and Mass Bike, will also participate.

The following Earth Day events are scheduled at Marsh Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

Recycling Raffle/Clothing Drive: Bring recyclables (paper, cans, bottles, old sneakers, and electronics) or unwanted clothing and you could win prizes from Whole Foods, Dr. Bronner’s, Annie’s Homegrown, and many more.

Music: Melodeego returns to Earth Day after an awesome performance at last year’s event.

Organic Food: BU Dining Services will be grilling, serving, and selling delicious food.

Free Coffee: Bring a reusable mug and fill it for free with organic, fair-trade, shade-grown Pura Vida coffee.

Trash Audit: Watch volunteers sort through trash from buildings on campus to see how much could have been recycled.

T-Shirts: BU Earth Day T-shirts, featuring a logo designed by CFA student Jamie Simon printed on organic cotton shirts, will be on sale for only $15.

Trendy Hand-Crafted Shoulder Bags: Bags made out of reused clothes and fabric will be for sale.

Visit www.bu.edu/recycling for updates and more information.

Meghan Noé can be reached at mdorney@bu.edu.