Renewal of commitment on Earth Day
Jade Cohen ’17
In honor of the 45th annual Earth Day, the Convent of the Sacred Heart community renewed its awareness of and commitment to prominent environmental issues.
Earth Day is dedicated to bringing global attention to environmental issues including climate change, pollution, a lack of biodiversity and a decreasing water supply, according to earthday.org.
The theme for Earth Day 2015 is “It’s our turn to lead.” The Earth Day Network encourages people to “take a stand so that together, we can show the world a new direction,” and “world leaders can follow by example,” according to earthday.org.
Upper School students in the Honors Environmental Science class created a short video to teach the Sacred Heart community how to reduce its environmental impact and consumption. The video takes viewers through a typical day and shows them simple changes they can make to live a more eco-friendly life.
Seniors Emily O’Sullivan and Claren Hesburgh both contributed to the production of the video.
“I think it’s important to celebrate Earth Day, because it is a reminder to everyone of our responsibility to take care of the earth,” Emily said. “I think everyone should be conscious of their impact on the planet all the time.”
In addition to the video, the celebration of Earth Day at Sacred Heart promoted environmental conservation.
The Head Librarian and Director of the Media Center, Ms. Elizabeth Fernandez, emailed a poem to students and faculty about the planet, in honor of both Earth Day and poetry month.
“Earth Day raises awareness about multiple environmental concerns such as water supply, energy consumption, climate change, air pollution, and many others. It reminds society to take action in making positive changes to the Earth and to protect the plants and animals, in addition to the environment,” Claren said.
According to Upper School Science Teacher Ms. Amy Dillane, Sacred Heart students are capable of positively impacting the environment by making simple, small changes to their daily routine, such as using a reusable cup at Starbucks, printing double-sided documents to save paper, and turning off the faucet while brushing their teeth to reduce water use.
In addition to Ms. Dillane, Middle School Science Teacher, Ms. Joyce Reed, recommends that students use refillable water bottles to conserve water and eat vegetarian foods once a week to reduce their carbon footprint.
“We need to be reminded not to take our home and its resources for granted,” Ms. Reed said. “It is easy to feel powerless in the face of challenges such as global warming or plastic pollution in the oceans, but it is important to know that we can each make a difference with our choices and actions.”
– Jade Cohen, Staff Writer
