Green Committee Celebrating Earth Day Throughout April


April 15, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College is expanding its celebration of the Earth this year and promoting education and awareness on environmental issues throughout April.

The ECC Green Committee, which is part of the Civic and Community Engagement Coalition, holds an annual Earth Day event on campus. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no event in 2020.

Dr. Parvadha Govindaswamy said the committee adjusted this year and has spread its celebration of Earth to an entire month.

“Last year around this time when COVID hit full swing we were caught off-guard and were unable to do any Earth Day celebration because in-person celebrations were out of the question and we didn’t have enough time to pivot, in order to keep everyone safe we canceled,” Govindaswamy said.

This year, the Green Committee had more time to plan and prepared a month-long celebration focusing on its goals of promoting education and awareness about environmental issues and championing green initiatives.

International Mother Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22. ECC has held an event on a Saturday near that date.

“We were determined to work with what we have and decided to embrace the unlimited virtual world we have at our fingertips,” Dr. Govindaswamy said. “While ensuring safety we are immensely excited to continue to celebrate Earth Day virtually and disseminate fun and educational resources to our community. “

The committee already has been sharing videos and information from its Earth Day partners on college social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.

“Our online presentations have been created by students, staff, faculty and community members,” Govindaswamy commented. “And they cover various topics such as conservation, history, poetry, pollution awareness, animal welfare, human health and more.

“The goals of the Earth Day activities promoted at ECC are to engage students and the community in learning about the environment,” she added.

The Green Committee strives to develop an appreciation for the impact humans have on the natural world, highlight various local and global efforts that together make huge impacts on the environment, and help spread the idea of stewardship to better preserve the environment.

“As educators and community members ourselves, we are keen on sharing knowledge and resources in whichever way it benefits the community we live in and we serve,” said Govindaswamy. “Our Earth Day celebration is one such opportunity.”

She noted that the committee plans to resume the in-person Earth Day event once it is safe to do so.