Emerson group is keen on green
Lynette Cornell
|
If Earth Emerson has its way next week, the college will be looking a little greener. The environmentally conscious group is celebrating Earth Day, April 22, and has a full lineup of interactive events planned for the week.
The student group has about eight active members and 100 people on its listserv. Founded in 1996, EE acts as environmental watchdogs at Emerson, ensuring that the school is doing its best to help, not harm, the environment.
EE will start Earth Week by helping in a cleanup of Boston's historic Esplanade. Sunday is reserved for gearing up for what EE's President Lauren Robbins calls "The Big Week."
With a name like "Pimp My Cookie," the first official event sounds a little weird. Robbins said attendees will be given cookies to decorate with an eco-friendly message or image.
Robbins hopes the cookies will serve as a "quick, easy, fun reminder to think about the Earth whenever you can."
For busy people wanting to raise awareness about earth issues, Earth Emerson will provide political postcards outside the Dining Hall on Tuesday.
"You pick a postcard that voices your concerns, sign it, find your representative and we mail it for you," Robbins said. "Help save the world with a quick letter to the government you don't even have to write."
Possibly the biggest event of the week will take place Wednesday night with the Vegetarian Food Festival. In an interview posted on Earth Emerson's website, the 2005-2006 Earth Emerson President Rachel Dutcher estimated more than 100 students had turned out for the event.
Eating meat might seem natural but cattle raising leads to bulldozed forests to create grazing land.
"Processing meat [takes a lot of environmentally awful practices," said Jonathan "Satch" Satriale, Earth Emerson's advisor.
When asked about fish, Satriale said, "Some fish are okay. It's all about sustainability."
The week will conclude on Earth Day with a cleanup effort on the Boston Common. When the weather is nice, the organization will pick up trash on the Common every first Sunday of the month.
Aside from Earth Week, Earth Emerson has made great strides in improving the overall "greenness" at Emerson. They were partially responsible for getting the Piano Row building LEED-certified, which identifies the building as employing environmentally conscious measures to reduce pollution and waste.
These measures include automatic paper towel dispensers in the restrooms, which cut down on the amount of paper used. A majority of the rooms have lights that automatically shut off when a room is vacant. Furthermore, 20 percent of the energy Emerson uses comes from "green" sources.