Earth Day 2010 a Huge Success
The long, harsh winter finally behind them, Washingtonians gladly embraced April’s warm weather. Bright skies and abundant spring flowers set the perfect stage for the 40th annual Earth Day, celebrated on April 22 in 190 countries worldwide. “It’s great that this holiday is gaining more and more notoriety worldwide,” said 10th grader Sophie Reuss. “There is something that everyone, in every country can do to help.”
Leading up to the festivities were several organized area clean-ups. Over 200 sites surrounding the Potomac River were swept for pollution throughout April, leaving the area spotless. On the 24th, the National Zoo’s Green Team scoured the park in search of recyclables. Lastly, a giant rally was held all day long on the National Mall on Sunday April 25. Audience members were treated to performances by Sting and John Legend. There were also multiple speakers addressing climate change, such as Avatar director James Cameron and Olympic medalist Billy Demong. Cameron also set the release date of his film’s DVD for Earth Day, perhaps to further underline its “subtle” environmental message about the exploitation of resources in foreign countries.
The school community also tried to do their part in going green. Lauren Wright, upper school librarian and history teacher, said that on the eve of the 22nd, “we participated in Earth Hour at home. I’m not sure if it was at the right time, but we turned off all our lights and electronics for 60 minutes.” At lunch time students were introduced to a representative of Keany Produce Co., from whom Chef Wayne orders all of his fruits and vegetables. The company specializes in growing and transporting fresh food in local areas. Samples of locally grown fruit were displayed in large baskets for kids to grab on their way out of the lunchroom.
Some students were more skeptical of Keany’s work than others. “If you want a banana, you should grow it in its natural environment, even if that means importing it from another country,” commented 11th grader Leila Nashashabi. “Recreating the conditions necessary to grow tropical fruits locally may cause more harm to the environment that it’s worth.”
According to the Wilderness Society of America, Earth Day was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. Initially, his idea was to hold an environmental teach-in during the spring of 1970. The event was a huge success, with over 20 million participants. Nelson’s efforts were later rewarded when in 1995, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-president Bill Clinton.
The party didn’t stop at the capitol, however. Environmental efforts abroad gained significant popularity this year. 3BL Media announced online that The World Dhammakaya Centre, located north of Bangkok, invited over 100,000 Buddhist monks to come celebrate in meditation. The people of Costa Rica experienced their first ever Twearth Day, a creative hybrid of Twitter and Earth Day. Twitter users could keep up to date online with Project Green Jungle’s efforts in Costa Rican jungles, where they tested river water, conducted a biodiversity survey, and held a beach cleanup in Puerto Viejo. In France, the government approved legislation to help build charging stations for electrically powered vehicles throughout the country.
Leading up to the festivities were several organized area clean-ups. Over 200 sites surrounding the Potomac River were swept for pollution throughout April, leaving the area spotless. On the 24th, the National Zoo’s Green Team scoured the park in search of recyclables. Lastly, a giant rally was held all day long on the National Mall on Sunday April 25. Audience members were treated to performances by Sting and John Legend. There were also multiple speakers addressing climate change, such as Avatar director James Cameron and Olympic medalist Billy Demong. Cameron also set the release date of his film’s DVD for Earth Day, perhaps to further underline its “subtle” environmental message about the exploitation of resources in foreign countries.
The school community also tried to do their part in going green. Lauren Wright, upper school librarian and history teacher, said that on the eve of the 22nd, “we participated in Earth Hour at home. I’m not sure if it was at the right time, but we turned off all our lights and electronics for 60 minutes.” At lunch time students were introduced to a representative of Keany Produce Co., from whom Chef Wayne orders all of his fruits and vegetables. The company specializes in growing and transporting fresh food in local areas. Samples of locally grown fruit were displayed in large baskets for kids to grab on their way out of the lunchroom.
Some students were more skeptical of Keany’s work than others. “If you want a banana, you should grow it in its natural environment, even if that means importing it from another country,” commented 11th grader Leila Nashashabi. “Recreating the conditions necessary to grow tropical fruits locally may cause more harm to the environment that it’s worth.”
According to the Wilderness Society of America, Earth Day was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. Initially, his idea was to hold an environmental teach-in during the spring of 1970. The event was a huge success, with over 20 million participants. Nelson’s efforts were later rewarded when in 1995, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-president Bill Clinton.
The party didn’t stop at the capitol, however. Environmental efforts abroad gained significant popularity this year. 3BL Media announced online that The World Dhammakaya Centre, located north of Bangkok, invited over 100,000 Buddhist monks to come celebrate in meditation. The people of Costa Rica experienced their first ever Twearth Day, a creative hybrid of Twitter and Earth Day. Twitter users could keep up to date online with Project Green Jungle’s efforts in Costa Rican jungles, where they tested river water, conducted a biodiversity survey, and held a beach cleanup in Puerto Viejo. In France, the government approved legislation to help build charging stations for electrically powered vehicles throughout the country.
© 2010 Created by Mark Schulte.
