Today marks the 34th annual Earth Day and there are a variety of ways students on campus can participate.
Activities begin at 9 a.m. on Library Mall. UW-Madison environmental organizations including the Sierra Student Coalition, the Adventure and Environmental Education Club, WisPIRG and others will have tables and demonstrations set up for students and community members to take action.
\Our Earth Day 2004 events are centered around the theme 'Take Action,'"" Mike He of the Sierra Student Coalition said. ""The goal is to educate and promote ways that people can change their attitudes, choices and lifestyles to live in a more sustainable way.""
From 9 a.m. until noon, students can participate in a ""Clean Up Our Campus"" contest, where teams will pick up trash around campus. Prizes will be available for everyone who participates, including 20 gift certificates and items to make their lives more environmentally friendly.
Ben Manski from the local Green Party and Matt Rothschild from the Progressive Party will speak at noon.
Demonstrations set up around Library Mall will include a worm composting bin, a reusable grocery bag sewing session and instructions to tune up a bicycle. There will also be a Honda hybrid on display.
Students can choose to participate in weekly pledges to turn off their TV, to be vegetarian or to not use Styrofoam cups. There will be organizations with tables where students can learn more about becoming members if interested. The tabling and demonstrations will end at 4 p.m.
Events will take place in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m. featuring local bands including Space Camp, Full Vinyl Treatment and Cats Not Dogs. Free pizza will also be served.
""We believe every person has the power to take action in concrete ways, from changing the way they live to engaging in political activism,"" He said. ""We hope that every person will come away from our events with greater respect for our environment and for their own power to affect it.""
Dan Manna, a member of Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, said a group of student volunteers will be ""patrolling"" Langdon Street around 1 p.m. to guard against the slashing of SUV tires, an event that occurred on last year's Earth Day.
""We're doing this to illustrate the effects of eco-terrorism and bring attention to the matter,"" Manna said.
-Maeghan Killeen contributed to this report.
