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NEWS
| April 24
Planting the Future
The Earth Day event gives information
about recycling and the environment.
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| The Shorthorn: Brandon Wade |
| Finance senior Bobby Koshy inspects
a Texas star hibiscus in the University Center on Wednesday
afternoon as biology graduate student Bryan Hummel explains
how to take care of the plant. The Phi Sigma Society of
Biology sold the plants as part of the Earth Day festivities
on campus. Hummel grew all the plants in the UTA greenhouse. |
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By Josie
Garcia
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Students left the University Center Rio
Grande Ballroom wearing temporary peace tattoos and carrying plants
Wednesday afternoon.
About 200 people browsed booths at the annual Earth Day celebration
sponsored here for the fourth year by the Environmental Health and
Safety. Earth Day was Tuesday but was observed here a day later.
Activities were moved inside due to rain, and organizers said weather
may have been responsible for low turnout. Becky Valentich, the
office’s recycling events coordinator, said the event typically
draws a crowd of about 1,000.
“It’s just too bad we got rained out,” she said.
“This is the first time in four years we had to go inside.”
But fewer attendees did not keep Valentich and her colleagues from
promoting recycling, teaching reduced consumption and other earth-friendly
daily habits. Valentich said getting students to think about the
earth’s future is important to the long-term development of
solutions to environmental problems.
One solution, according to representatives from the Trinity River
Authority, is to help prevent drinking-water pollution by avoiding
damaging pesticides and chemicals.
“Lay off the grass fertilizer or any lawn treatments,”
said Angela Kilpatrick, the authority’s clean rivers program
coordinator. “One little thing might make a difference.”
Susan White, a water quality technician with the river authority,
said she hopes the event influences even a few students to reform
their consumer habits, adding most people under the necessity of
recycling but don’t do it.
“Recycling and composting need to be done every day,”
White said. “Look and understand that things are being destroyed.
Nothing else matters if you don’t have clean water and clean
land.”
People at the event bought earth-friendly lunches: a baked potato,
fruit and a soda served on biodegradable trays with biodegradable
utensils. Workers distributed free recycled toilet paper, posters
and flying discs. Others bought green fare ranging from handmade
notecards to T-shirts to sun catchers — made of recycled glass,
of course.
Some people who stopped by Lucy Barnes’ booth heard about the
homemaker’s unusual accessories made mostly of material she
finds. She has been making her recycled art for 25 years, she said.
One of her creations — a puppet named Harley — wore a
black leather jacket Barnes found on the street. The jacket, it
turns out, has a story.
“One time I was driving, and I swerved to miss the black jacket
on the road,” Barnes said, pointing out tire marks still visible
on the jacket. “A car almost hit me as I tried to avoid it.
I decided to pick it up on the way back [home].”
While the band Pure Octane played, environmental office receptionist
Lauren Slay sat with friends, wearing an oversized, form-fitting
recycling bin costume.
“I’m wearing the costume because it promotes recycling,”
she said.
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