As
you might imagine, Earth Day/Week is one of our favorite times of the year here
at SECS. While we might be pretty much always thinking about the planet and how
much it means to us, this one week in April gives us the chance to go all out
in celebrating Earth and educating others about all the grave threats it faces.
But aside from getting us hippies even louder than usual, what is Earth Day all
about? To answer that question, let’s talk a little bit about the history of
this great day.
On April 22nd,
1970, twenty million Americans flooded the streets, demanding a clean and
sustainable environment. This was a culmination of a shift in attitudes that
began well over one hundred years prior, but truly; this first Earth Day had
spent just eight years in the making. In 1962, marine biologist and
conservationist Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring, which made millions of Americans aware for the first
time of the damage we were inflicting on our planet. Popular discontent continued
to grow over the next few years, and after witnessing the horrors of the 1969 Santa
Barbara oil spill, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson spearheaded an effort to
plan a “national teach-in on the environment,” which became Earth Day. The
success of Earth Day led to the passing of the Clean Air and Water Acts, and from
then on environmentalism continued to define the social zeitgeist of the 1970s.
Unfortunately, throughout the next decades, the environment became an
increasingly partisan topic in politics, and so both environmentalism and Earth
Day declined in popularity.
You probably know
this if you’re reading this blog, but today the threats our planet is
experiencing are just about as dire as they’ve ever been. Because of this,
Earth Day is more important than ever. Thankfully, SECS has a full schedule of
events for this Earth Week, all of which are very significant opportunities for
you all to make a difference, whether by learning more about what you can do to
be more sustainable or by making your voice heard to demand action- just as the
twenty million who marched on the first Earth Day did. Read on for a rundown of
all of our events, and we hope to see you at as many of them as possible!
MONDAY 4/17
Alternative Facts: Fact or Fiction? | 11am-2pm, Main Quad
Join us and the Green Observer on
the Quad to spin our environmental facts wheel, and take your best guess at
what is fact and what is fiction! A great chance to get up to date on what our
politicians are doing about the environment- and also to win some awesome
prizes. Hosted by SECS and the Green Observer.
We'll
be doing some demonstrations on how you can reuse things that you would
normally throw away, making face scrubs, soaps, household products and more!
There will be some snacks made from food 'scraps' that you'd usually toss, like
potato chips. Join SECS' Education Committee to find some new uses for the
things you would normally throw away. Hosted by the SECS Education Committee.
TUESDAY 4/18
BikeFace Fix-It Day |
10am-2pm, Main Quad
Is your bike in need of some
tender love and care? Needs a spring tune-up? Look no further than the the
BikeFace Fix-It Day! We'll be on the quad doing tune ups for a fraction of what
it would cost at a professional bike shop! Come by, drop off your bike, and let
us take care of it! Hosted by
BikeFace.
SECS Environmental Expo | 11am-2pm, Illini Union Room B
Are you interested in learning
more about sustainability and engaging environmental efforts? If so, come to
our fifth annual Environmental Expo for a chance to network with environmental
RSOs, related majors and departments, local organizations, and sustainable
businesses. Hosted by the SECS
Sustainable Business committee.
Our Earth 2.0: Environmental Action Through Grassroots Activism |
6pm-7pm, YMCA
This is a sequel to our
successful first Our Earth event. At Our Earth 2.0, we will focus on grassroots
activism: what it is, who to contact, and how to join us in our canvassing
efforts for UIUC to reach carbon neutrality by 2033. Also, there will be plenty
to learn about the following issues: Problems with Pipelines, Carbon Tax,
Renewable Energy, Sustainable Living, and Direct Action. Hosted by the SECS Political Action Committee.
WEDNESDAY 4/19
BikeFace Chancellor Ride |
9am-10am, starting at the Campus Bike Center
Join us on a bike ride with
Chancellor Robert J. Jones! Explore some of University of Illinois' finest bike
paths and bike lanes with our University's newest leader. Together, we can
weather all the bumps ahead. Hosted
by BikeFace.
BikeFace Fix-It Day, Day 2 |
10am-2pm, Main Quad
Is your bike in need of some
tender love and care? Needs a spring tune-up? Look no further than the the
BikeFace Fix-It Day! We'll be on the quad doing tune ups for a fraction of what
it would cost at a professional bike shop! Come by, drop off your bike, and let
us take care of it! Hosted by
BikeFace.
SECS Annual Clothing Swap |
11am-4pm, YMCA Latzer Hall
For our annual clothing swap,
the YMCA is going to be turned into a thrift shop- if you have already donated
clothes, you are free to come and pick out as many items as you donated. If
not, the clothing will also be on sale for cheap prices! If you would still
like to donate, you can bring your clothes to any of our Monday or Tuesday
events (we ask that you put the clothes in a bag along with a piece of paper
labeled with your name, email, and number of items), or you can drop off
clothes in Allen Hall’s front lobby where there is a collection bin set up
until 3pm on Tuesday. All leftover items will be donated to an undecided organization
following the swap.
SECS General Meeting |
6:30pm-7:30pm, YMCA
Just like any other week, we
will be having our regular meeting on Wednesday night at the YMCA!
THURSDAY 4/20
SECS Plant Sale |
11am-3pm (or until supplies run out!), Main Quad
Want to add some greenery to
your dorm or apartment? Stop by the Quad to pick up some plants, we'll be
selling various herbs and succulents! Hosted
by the SECS Education Committee.
Fossil Free UIUC |
11am-2pm, Main Quad
Join Beyond Coal this Earth
Week for some fossil fuel related activities and demos! We will be discussing
pipelines, coal, divestment campaigns, and our new initiative: Fossil Free UIUC.
Hosted by Beyond Coal.
Film Screening: Before the Flood |
7pm-9pm, Channing Murray Foundation
Join us to watch Before the Flood, Leonardo DiCaprio’s
award-winning documentary about climate change.
FRIDAY 4/21
Veggie Burger Cook-Off | 4pm-8pm, Illini Grove
Bring your best veggie burger
recipes and compete to win our veggie burger cook-off. Don't forget to bring
your appetite and friends along to wind down from a successful Earth Week.
Winners will receive bragging rights until next year!
