Jarred Walker – Staff Writer
Studies show that 82% of Americans want to be more environmentally friendly, but only 31% say they always recycle.
Luckily, on April 22 of every year, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide by millions to raise awareness for environmental protection. Daytona State College is no exception to the festivities and has made it a point over the last five years to be involved directly. The work the College is doing to engage students might just make the difference.
Sponsored by DSC Student Life, Earth Day events were celebrated on the DeLand, Daytona Beach and Flagler campuses April 22, 23 and 25, respectively. The DeLand and Flagler events went smoothly, but the Daytona Beach event ran into technical difficulties due to power outages across campus. That did not stop multiple clubs from coming out to support the cause anyway to spread environmental awareness. Clubs set up booths that included interactive activities to educate students or general passersby interested in helping to save the planet.
Considering the initial technical difficulties, the turnout was amazing. Around 50 people stopped by and were treated to exhibits and give-aways by the many clubs, including Sigma Beta Delta, an honor society for students in business, management and administration studies.
“We decided the topic we wanted to cover for Earth Day was ocean pollution. Sometimes the plastic out in the ocean will clump together and affect our wildlife,” explained Caitlin Eriser, a supervision and management major and Sigma Beta Delta member. “We decided to make fact sheets about it for people to take and we also had little snack cups that included food which represented certain things that we discussed such as gummy octopuses and Jello cups that represented shark fins.”
She emphasized how important Earth Day is to her: “It’s a very big topic recently. I think we need to really pay attention to what we’re doing to our planet. The Earth is our home and the more we mess with it, the less of a chance it’s going to survive long term. Our environment affects us directly, so it’s very important we take care of it.”
Associate Business Professor Lee Kenyon attended the Daytona Beach event and said, “A lot of work has gone into building awareness on the challenges we’re facing with the Earth especially with these clubs. Being on the beach recently, I’ve seen how much pollution is washing ashore and how it’s not degrading.
“The problem is continuing to get worse. I think for our student body to get a better sense of what types of challenges our Earth is facing, these types of events are valuable. We’ve got to do something. I’m thankful the students spent the time creating the posters and doing the research they did to make sure they provided factual information in helping educate other students.”
As a lifelong surfer, Student Life Coordinator Lori Lemoine is passionate about Earth Day. She is one of the many responsible for helping setup such awareness events.
“These DSC Earth Day functions have led to some really cool initiatives such as the recycle program. Along with that, folks from Marine Science come out to encourage students to volunteer as turtle mound watchers for this season. Every year, we plan for at least 500 students to attend the events. Some other clubs that attend include the Student Paralegal Association, Student Government, Performing Arts Society, Business, Table Top Gaming, American Sign Language and WISE clubs.
“They raise the issues of solar power, resource conservation and life cycle of plants. I encourage all of our students to get involved with clubs and organizations, so they can find their niche. When students start volunteering during their education it’s more likely that they are going to be a lifelong volunteer.”
For information on what clubs DSC offers and how to join, be sure to check out https://www.daytonastate.edu/student_act/clubsandorganizations.html.