Spring is a season with a lot of holidays, from St. Patrick’s Day to Easter. Among these is a lesser known holiday: Earth Day. Taking place on April 22, Earth Day is a holiday that raises attention to the environmental problems that Earth faces. When it was started in the 1970s, it was mainly raising awareness to the massive oil spills that were occurring at the time. Now, it serves as a reminder to encourage sustainability on our planet.
At Liberty, Earth Day is mainly celebrated during Earth Week, where there are Earth-themed spirit days.
“Everyone will be wearing green on Earth Day itself,” Green Team advisor David Dingler said.
Another way Liberty participates in making our planet more sustainable is through recycling only paper.
“It seems like the janitors really appreciate it,” Dingler said. “It helps them not have to sort through everything.”
Green Team isn’t the only club that participates in Earth Day, though.
“Last year, Green Team collaborated with UNICEF and Students Rebuild to support their climate change,” Green Team president Jenna Rowland said. “We participated in their plastic cap project and built a giant structure using trash we collected during a campus cleanup and recyclables from home.”
Students such as Rowland recall how they feel more inclined to participate in Earth Day as it draws nearer.
“I start thinking a lot more about my own daily habits and how they impact the planet,” Rowland said. “I try to be conscious of my carbon footprint year-round, but Earth Day gets me thinking of it in more ways.”
“I cut back on single-use plastics, bike and walk more, and encourage others, especially my own family, to be more sustainable as well!” Rowland said.
However, Dingler believes that Liberty is not as involved with Earth Day as we should be.
“We don’t really do much other than say ‘Hey, it’s Earth Day.’ But the spirit week is definitely helping things,” Dingler said.
Dingler believes that this applies to the real world as well.
“It’s really the companies that need to do a lot better because there’s only so much that we as individuals can do,” Dingler said.
He believes that one way to increase participation in Earth Day is to have incentives for people doing things that make the planet more sustainable.
“The school is already doing things like electrification and using solar panels, so little things here and there could really help out,” Dingler said.
Rowland agrees with this and has even thought of a way to turn it into a friendly competition between classes.
“We could host an eco-challenge between grade levels, like giving a prize to the grade that brings the most reusable water bottles to school,” Rowland said. “We could also do more collabs with local businesses like RVC or Chuck’s Donuts.”
Among Rowland’s favorite parts of Earth Day is the fact that it helps bring people together and spotlights the climate change crisis.
“It’s inspiring to see everyone, both teachers and students, participating in campus cleanups and recycling to better care for our community and our planet without expecting anything in return,” Rowland said.
