Serving the Fullerton Community Since 1922

The Hornet

The Hornet

Serving the Fullerton Community Since 1922

The Hornet

Earth Day reminds students to think Green

It’s Earth Day, a day when everyone becomes reminded on ways they can be more ‘green’ to help sustain a healthy environment.

Earth Day has become the annual reminder or wake-up call for those who believe our planet is becoming more and more polluted. As the main idea, Earth Day sparks awareness to many actions people can be changing for the better of the earth’s environment. Even small acts such as turning off electronics when they are not being used, are believed to make a huge impact.

Carbon dioxide
According to NASA studies, the level of carbon dioxide in the air is the highest it’s been in 650,000 years. Photo credit: Nasa

Especially at the Fullerton College campus, where students are becoming more aware of climate change. As well as what they can be doing to ensure a sustainably better campus.

Students at the college consider the concept of Earth Day is a sobering reminder that we don’t live in a perfect environment, yet there are many ways we can all work together to make tomorrow a better future for newer generations.

FC students like computer science major Jordan Gibson, think Earth Day is a fresh reminder about how to be better about protecting the environment.

washed up plastic
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans or washed up. That’s equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world, according to plastic-pollution.org. Photo credit: Google Images

“I think Earth Day is a special day when people can come together and appreciate the world as a whole,” said Gibson. “One-way people can be more ‘green’ is to recycle. More people should be using reusable water bottles like a ‘hydra flask’ so plastic water bottles aren’t left on the ground.”

One of the recent moves the college made this year was the establishment of hydrations stations all-throughout the campus. These stations provide clean filtered water and all main buildings on campus have at least one station in them.

The goal of these stations was to eliminate the continual utilization of single-use plastic water bottles. All in all, the campus has claimed to saved “168,000” disposable water bottles since this past January.

Hydro station
Fullerton College recently installed these 'hydration stations' all through campus. These station allow students or whomever to refill their water bottles with free filtered water. These stations aim to reduce the amount of single use plastic bottles that people use. Photo credit: Anthony Robles

Fullerton College also held a ‘Migration Symposium’ in celebration of Earth Day. This event included a keynotes speech from Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology at USC. Pastor is an expert on sustainable development and social, economic and environmental justice in urban areas.

To further influence environmental activism, FC United and Sociology club held a conversation circle in the student center building.

coral infographic
Photo credit: NOAA

Among other things people are encouraged to make simple changes to their everything lifestyle. Including but not limited to, recycling, walking or riding your bike, using reusable grocery bags and cups and also taking shorter showers.

People are encouraged to make these changes not only on Earth Day, but throughout every day of the year. That way people can develop good habits that ultimately better the earth and our environmental future.