Earth Day has limited impact at A&M-Commerce

April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Founded in 1970 by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was intended to be a nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda," according to earthday.net.

More than one billion people in 190 countries will celebrate Earth Day this year, according to earthday.org.

However, there are no officially organized events taking place at A&M-Commerce to celebrate the holiday.

Freshman marketing major JenAnne Shumway thinks that while the concept of "going green" has made people more aware of environmental issues, it has also diminished the relevance of celebrating Earth Day.

"It's never really been that big of a deal for me since second grade," she said, "but now that everyone is ‘going green,' I'm seeing a lot of advertising for it. It would be nice to see more people involved, but I guess since everyone is ‘going green,' noting this specific day doesn't seem like a big deal."

Senior wildlife and conservation science major Kathryn Kuczaj thinks Earth Day provides a good opportunity to better educate the public on protecting the environment.

"Earth Day was designed to inspire and educate people about our environment and what we can do to help preserve it," she said. "I think education is the one thing we are lacking when it comes to our planet, and the more knowledge we can spread the more aware people will become."

Kuczaj would like to see the university acknowledge Earth Day.

"I would love to see an event celebrating Earth Day here on campus," she said. "Maybe a ‘lights out' hour, where all electricity is turned off for an hour, or maybe have a showing of some of the ‘Planet Earth' documentary films."

Yet, she also thinks it is important for individuals to take their own initiative to observe the holiday.

"As much as I wish that the university would host an event, I don't think you need a big celebration or event to partake in this holiday," she said. "It can be an individual act, like planting a new rose bush in your yard or volunteering at the animal shelter. One small change could make all the difference in the world."