Campus Events Honor Earth Day

Harvard students are promoting environmental awareness and celebrating the University’s current green initiatives by hosting a week of events commemorating Earth Day, culminating in a celebration in the Mac Quad on Saturday.

Rebecca J. Howe ’11, the Harvard Environmental Action Committee’s Earth Day Co-Chair, said that the festivities are completely student-run and that numerous Harvard organizations such as the Outing Club, Geological Society, the Vegetarian Society, Green Labs, and Sustainable Allston are also sponsoring the events.

Even the Harvard University Dining Services contributed to the Earth Day celebration—all of the dining halls served specially-prepared dinners commemorating Earth Day, with meals composed of “green” ingredients.

“They made a cranberry walnut salad that was absolutely delicious,” Jakub Dolecki ’11 said, noting that they did not serve beef and listed the ingredients for each dish on special tags.

Dolecki said he appreciated the tags because they showed that HUDS “took care in acquiring green ingredients.”

The students involved said they are especially excited for the culminating event on Saturday, which will feature Boloco burritos and performances by Harvard and Berklee bands, along with student activities.
Dolecki said he was planning on attending the event and was excited for the free food. 

The EAC launched its bike-sharing program on Earth Day yesterday, and hopes to attract students to sign up for the program at the event on Saturday, where bikes will be available for testing.

Howe, the EAC Earth-Day co-chair, said she hopes the timing of the event—which will occur during the College’s weekend for prospective freshman—will allow them to reach out to even more students.

“We are trying to show prefrosh that you can help out the environment,” she said.

Howe also added that “a big focus of the event” will be to highlight some of Harvard’s efforts to promote sustainability—in July 2008, University President Drew G. Faust committed Harvard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent below 2006 levels by 2016.

Harvard has also recently put up wind turbines on the roof of the Holyoke Center and solar panels on some University-owned buildings.

Throughout Earth Week, which began on Monday, various organizations within Harvard are sponsoring activities to promote environmental issues such as documentary showings and speaker events