Sustainability booth providing information for students about Earth day at CSUDH. Photo by Dylan A. Bryant.
By Dylan A. Bryant, Staff Reporter
Last Tuesday, April 19, the 15th Annual Earth day celebration at CSUDH, returned to the university grounds after two years of being held online due to the pandemic. The annual event, which was hosted by CSUDH Sustainability had a great turn out with over 30+ organizations and vendors tabling, sharing resources and educating students on the importance of Earth Day. The engagement on the east and south walkway showcased the importance of Earth Day for the CSUDH community and the return of an in-person event had many booths dealing with constant traffic and student engagement, as some students may say: “the event was buzzin.”
One of the many resourceful people tabling at the event was Maggie Clarke, a CSUDH librarian who was providing students information on how to grow small plants and produce. Her table had free seeds of vegetables like kale and cilantro, all which were free for students to take.
“Personally, i’m an earth day fan” Clarke said, “I haven’t seen this many students out on campus in a long time, so I think that speaks to how important it is to the community.. a lot of folks are interested in.”
The event lasted all day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and also hosted an award ceremony. One of the awards presented on Earth Day was given to David “Skip” Saladana, who serves as the Program and Development Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, and as the secretary for the Sustainability Club. His work granted him the Green Hero Award for his work on campus. “It means everything, it’s definitely validation to everything I have been doing. Ultimately it’s for the campus,” he said. “Letting the campus know we are here, these are the great incentives we are pioneering… not just here but the 23 CSU campuses.”
An organization that also tabled at the festival was, Save Our Water where Chanel Maryland mentioned the main goal of the company is to make water conservation a life-long habit. “We focus on awareness of our current drought,” Maryland said. “We promote powerful water saving tips that can be applied inside or outside of your home that don’t feel like a sacrifice to your water conservation efforts.”
One message the event wanted attendees to take away was the many forms in which individuals can take action to conserve planet Earth. A few ways of ensuring energy saving are: shutting off water in between washing dishes, taking shorter showers, only doing full loads of laundry or dishes to maximize efficiency and commute to work or school by using a bike or carpooling. As the national celebration of our planet arrived last Friday, April 22nd, it continues to be important to reflect on the ways we can all work towards climate justice, within our school and into our personal lives.
