arts

Where to celebrate Earth Day around Tucson

Melissa Vasquez

April 20, 2017

Joe Martinez

A view of Biosphere 2 located in Oracle, Arizona. Biosphere 2 will host an Earth Day event, including panels and a concert with Calexico.

April 22 is the holiday where we celebrate and think about our home, otherwise known as Earth Day. There are many ways to celebrate the spirit of Earth Day, such as recycling, committing to living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and learning more about our terrestrial abode.

There will be various events taking place around Earth Day to celebrate the Earth and science in general. What better way to celebrate our planet than to learn about it and science?

UA Earth Day, Every Day

Students for Sustainability, a program with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona committed to teaching students about sustainability, will host UA Earth Day, Every Day on the UA Mall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 21.

According to Trevor Ledbetter, a senior studying ecology and evolutionary biology and environmental sciences who serves as a co-director for SFS and is the event’s project lead, this event is rooted in the desire to have an Earth Day event on campus—something that hasn’t been done in a couple of years. The purpose is to leave a lasting impression on those who attend so they know more about how to care for the Earth.

“So we want to bring Earth Day back and we want to do it in a way that’s more than just this one day, like, ‘Oh, I planted a tree or I recycled for today,’” Ledbetter said.

Ledbetter said SFS wants students and staff who attend to think more critically beyond just Earth Day and to do more every day.

“That’s why we’re calling it Earth Day, Every Day to kind of get people to see solutions that they can take in their own lives so that they’re more realistic and also have more meaningful impact on their environmental footprint,” Ledbetter said.

There will be various organizations at the event, such as Stressbusters, Arizona Humane Society and Coca-Cola, each of whom is trying to showcase its side of sustainability, according to Ledbetter. They will provide services, demonstrations and information at the event.

“It would be great for students to come, enjoy some dogs if they want to, get some food if they want to, but ultimately interact with organizations,” Ledbetter said.

March for Science Tucson

March for Science Tucson will take place April 22 at El Presidio Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This will be a rally and a place to educate the community about science and is also in concordance with the March for Science events that will take place nationwide.

Josh Hoskinson, a graduate student studying ecology and evolutionary biology and organizer for this event, said it’s for Tucson to be able to stand in solidarity with the rest of the March for Science events happening worldwide that day.

“The purpose of the march is to advocate for scientist policies, safe legislations and to show the Trump administration, and the government as a whole, that we do not support their course of actions when it comes to their dealings with science and science-related organizations,” Hoskinson said.

Maria Johnson, a natural resources major and also organizer for March for Science Tucson, said it’s important to bring all kinds of sciences together, such as earth sciences, social sciences, environmental and chemical and to show that they are all together.

“Having the local organizations come and support and show the public what they’re doing and having the ability to do some outreach and bring people in” is also something Johnson said is going to be done at March for Science Tucson.

Earth Day at the Biosphere 2

Earth Day at the Biosphere 2 will take place April 22 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Biosphere 2 research facility. There will be presentations, panel discussions, hands-on activities, exhibitor booths and performances by Calexico and local musicians taking place throughout the event.

John Adams, the deputy director at Biosphere 2, said this is an event to engage the public and highlight what the Biosphere has been doing. There are hands-on activities for people of all ages to enjoy.

“We want this to be a public-friendly event,” Adams said.

By celebrating the innovations Biosphere 2 has made in the world of science, they are also celebrating science and highlighting the importance of it.

Adams said he wants people to gain “a recognition of the importance and significance of Biosphere 2 as a premium research center” and that it has done much in the past and there is a vision to continue to do so.

“It’s more than just an architectural structure,” Adams said.

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