Strong Turnout at ECC Earth Day After Three-Year Hiatus

Organizers of the East Central College Earth Day celebration didn’t miss a beat despite a three-year hiatus between in-person events.

That’s according to Dr. Parvadha Govindaswamy, who said the April 29 event returned as strong as ever.

“Considering that we are doing this event after a three-year gap, the attendance was very good,” she said, adding that there were about 250 people in attendance.

Govindaswamy added that there was a wide variety of events and activities that reached attendees, from children to adults.

“Someone who visited every booth would have had plants, recycled paper with wildflower seeds, seed bombs, Strawberry DNA, animal crayons and bird feeders to take home with them,” she said.

“They would have fished pollution out of the ocean, peered through a telescope, traced the path of vegetables and fruits into and out of the U.S., learned some nature terms in Spanish, picked up tips and information about summer internships with the Endangered Wolf Center, Webster Groves Nature Society and Missouri Stream Team.”

In addition, there were demonstrations on ocean erosion, solar energy at work, and worm composting.

There were 30 different activities for different age groups during Earth Day, ranging from making crafts and building collages, to learning a new language, learning geography and hearing about internship and volunteer opportunities

“It was a good mix of activities that required one to stop and think as well get in there and do hands-on activities – both much needed for learning and engagement,” Govindaswamy said.

Holding community events like Earth Day, she noted, fits the College’s goal of promoting lifelong learning.

“This is one of the many efforts this college offers that help us share knowledge with our community about various topics that interest the community, and those that are important and relevant to current times,” Govindaswamy said. “Classroom teaching, when supplemented with such extracurricular activities, can enhance our understanding of and engagement with the world around us. And what better way to do that than opening our campus to have the community come over and self-guide their exploration and learning of different topics?”

Hosting Earth Day celebrations at ECC is one way of giving back to the community that supports the College.

“Since this event is geared towards all age groups it allows us to engage with and provide service for a larger cross section of this community,” Govindaswamy added. “Which is always exciting to us.”