SEA hosting Earth Day celebration
What’s blue and green and needs help all over?
The Student Environmental Alliance will have its “Earth Day” celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Warriner Mall.
Audrie Thelen, SEA member and Eagle graduate student, expects it to be a very relaxed event. She said it is designed as a walkthrough, come-and-go styled event for participants.
“Hopefully, people will just come through and walk and learn a little bit about what’s going on,” Thelen said of environmental issues.
This year marks Earth Day’s 40th anniversary.
Thomas Rohrer, faculty adviser for SEA and assistant professor of environmental studies, said the group has a variety of activities planned.
There will be several educational opportunities about Earth Day and the environment, and other activities.
“We plan to have different demonstrations regarding sustainability,” Rohrer said. “There will be a solar panel display, a demonstration on wind energy and jewelry made from Michigan materials.”
SEA is bringing in several businesses that use and promote environmentally friendly products such as solar panels or wind towers, said Milford senior and SEA member Samantha Fiani.
Fiani said businesses come to demonstrate what they are doing to be green.
Environmental Quality Industrial Services is one company attending.
“I collected data on a site that had an oil spill,” she said. “They were working to remedy the problem.”
Fiani said SEA will offer recycled notebooks to students.
“The notebooks are made from recycled cereal and beer boxes as well as paper from the computer labs,” Fiani said.
Thelen said Earth Day is a great chance for those looking to learn about alternative forms of energy.
“There are a lot of people who are skeptic about solar power in Michigan. We plan to have a solar panel demonstration that will show that solar power is still a viable source of power in Michigan,” Thelen said. “The whole day can really just be a big learning experience for people.”
