WOODBURY UNIVERSITY : Earth Day Teaches Lessons in Ecology to Eager Students

Many Woodbury University students may be too young to remember the first Earth Day 20 years ago, but they were enthusiastic about the second one that was celebrated in many different ways around the Earth this past week.

Students participated in a variety of campus events last Monday and Tuesday to mark their awareness of the environment and the rising interest in ecology.

Woodbury students drew chalk pictures offering personal interpretations of the day’s meaning on the sidewalk in front of the campus library, designed biodegradable “trees,” placed recycling bins around campus, raised an Earth Day flag and posted flyers listing “31 Simple Things You Can Do To Save the Earth.”

The colorful sidewalk chalk drawings depicted Mother Earth, peace signs, globes and inspirational sayings.

Architecture students Nicholas Rumanes and Craig Rizzo celebrated Earth Day by designing and building a “tree” of wood and twine that also serves as a trash receptacle. The tree project was an assignment for a class in three-dimensional design.

“Eventually, enough paper will be deposited in the middle of the structure that it will begin to take the shape of a tree,” Rumanes said.

“We took the paper from the wood of the tree and by doing this project we are attempting to give the paper back again,” he said.

Many students said Earth Day should be repeated annually.

“When the day is over, we don’t stop polluting our country and taking the resources from the Earth,” Rizzo said. “We should continually be aware of what is going on and try to make it a better world.”

Phi Sigma Chi, a campus organization, is planning to maintain students’ environmental awareness by sponsoring an Earth Week in May. During the week, booths will be set up to distribute information from organizations such as Greenpeace, Campaign California, Heal the Bay, Sierra Club, and Mother Earth.