BEMIDJI — As Earth Day is being celebrated all over the world, Bemidji State University joined the annual celebration on Saturday, April 22, in hopes to inspire the community to better care for the earth.
The Earth Day celebration at BSU played host to a variety of activities to encourage environmental stewardship within the campus community and beyond. This year’s event focused on environmental regulation and investing in the planet through sustainable actions.
“We are gathered to celebrate Earth Day today,” said BSU’s sustainability project manager and event organizer Jordan Lutz. “This year marks the 53rd annual Earth Day celebration and international opportunity to gather in community, celebrate the earth that sustains us and think about how we can better care for that world.”
The event kicked off with the annual Stride into Spring 5k/10k Fun Run, Walk and Stroll. Outside of the Gillett Wellness Center, about 15 students, staff and community members bundled up and took their marks.
Lutz also mentioned that the T-shirts for the fun run this year were actually designed and repurposed by a group of students at the university.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This year, a student group helped design and screen print the T-shirts,” Lutz said. “Essentially, they salvaged or repurposed T-shirts that had a misprint and would have potentially been thrown away. So instead of throwing them away we held onto them and gave an opportunity to a student to design an overlay and work with fellow students to screen print them.”
Meanwhile inside the John Glas Fieldhouse, sustainability educators, volunteers and vendors set up their tables in preparation to inspire the community with an Earth Day Fair. From gardening tips to tree-ring painting along with designing thrifted shirts with block prints so attendees could increase their knowledge on sustainability and a few fun crafts.
Several other community organizations were on-hand as well to share information and activities, including Bemidji Master Naturalists, Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department, Bemidji Sustainability Commission, Citizens Climate Lobby – Bemidji, Conservation Minnesota, Growing Our Future, Indivisible Bemidji, Mississippi Headwaters Audubon and the Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Bemidji organization.
“Besides the Stride into Spring fun run, we also have an Earth Day Fair. We currently have exhibitors or community organizations set up in the education complex with activities and information that they're excited to share with community members,” Lutz said. “Today is just an opportunity for families and individuals of all ages to come down, have a good time and learn something new.”
The Trust Project
