Jonathan Smith
Staff Writer

The University of La Verne joined worldwide festivities celebrating Earth Day on April 21 during a fun-filled event geared toward educating people about environmental issues.

Booths were placed around the Quad as attendees were able to learn about different environmental ideas.

Society of Physical and Life Science Scholars offered scented filtered air samples and handed out trees for attendees to take, which became a favorite of the event.

“It’s great,” said Nicole Forrest-Boggs, manager of annual giving at ULV and coordinator of the event. “It’s beautiful weather. A lot of people are taking the trees home. It’s kind of windy but it’s great fun out here.”

“SPLSS has been here about one year,” said Emily Romo, a sophomore biology major and a member of SPLSS. “We’re still getting it started and trying to get more people to join.”

The festivities began around 11 a.m. as students were able to purchase lunch in the Quad. The first 55 commuters received free lunch provided by Sodexho. Roughly 150 people attended.

KULV broadcasted live and gave out free gifts to several listeners.
The Campus Activities Board provided the acoustic sounds of Adam Gaes, a native of Long Beach. Gaes’ music is a blend of the alternative mix of contemporary singer/songwriters similar to John Mayer and James Blunt.

A panel of ULV professors closed the program answering questions with their own views and experiences about environmental issues such as global warming and gas prices. The panel consisted of Professor of Biology Jay Jones, Associate Dean of the College of Business and Public Management Rita Thakur and Associate Professor of Education-Technology John Bartelt.

“The University of La Verne has been involved in Earth Day for a long time,” Jones said during his presentation.

Person Ford of La Verne showcased the new 2006 Escape Hybrid, which runs off of gas and electricity. The automobile is designed to conserve gas in heavy traffic.

The electric motor operates the automobile up to speeds of 25 miles per hour in traffic. It delivers 36 miles per gallon in city driving as well as 31 mpg in the highway.

The hybrid was voted as the North American International Auto Show 2005 North American Truck of the Year. The price of the motor vehicle runs upwards of $20,000.

“The Ford Escape Hybrid is more economical in the city than other motor vehicles,” said Marc Atiyah, a representative of Person Ford. “The hybrid is built for the city to encounter heavy traffic.”

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. Because it was on a Saturday this year, college campuses around the nation observed it on Friday. Since its beginning in 1970, Earth Day has evolved into one of the world’s most celebrated secular holidays.

Many of the attendees felt that Earth Day was a time to think about the many environmental issues people encounter and try to make a change of it.

“It’s great to have a day to reflect on how they affect the earth and what to do differently,” Forrest-Boggs said. “It’s like a holiday.”

“I think Earth Day is great to get educated about our environment and how to take care of it,” Romo said.

To learn more about Earth Day and other environmental activities, visit the Earth Day Network at www.earthday.net.

Jonathan Smith can be reached at jsmith11@ulv.edu.