Gould students took a break from classes to take action and celebrate Earth Day.
A brave group kicked things off with a polar plunge in the morning, then all students participated in a full program of student-led workshops around campus and in the woods at Pine Hill. The community practiced meditation and mindfulness in the Yurt, learned about sustainable living and the future of winters in classroom discussions, and up-cycled worn out t-shirts into shopping bags in the IDEAS Center. Lunch was delicious, locally sourced, and produced less than five pounds of food waste. But the highlight of the day, was an address by past faculty member Bonnie Pooley, who founded Earth Day celebrations at Gould many years ago. Bonnie is as fierce and passionate as ever, and helped us cap off the day by delivering a powerful call to action to both students and faculty.
Bonnie Pooley with this year’s Bonnie Pooley Award recipient Emma Lieb ’16 on Earth Day 2016.
“Find a way to be part of the global movement. There’s urgency in this action. So do all the things you can to lower your global footprint. But also, join with others in groups large enough that you cannot be ignored. Raise your tiger voices so that the world can see that the young people want change, and are willing to stand up for what is right for the people of our planet. And I’ll be there with you, and so will a lot of the other adults in this room. Then finally, take whatever passion you have, whether it’s for science, technology, languages, music, art, writing, history, literature, filmmaking; take that passion, and use it to help save our planet. You, you, YOU are our hope for the future.”
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