Written by Samantha Holshbach
In efforts encompassing Harding and Searcy, environmental exposés on April 21 and 22 will feature recycling education programs and habitat restoration service projects in conjunction with the Bisons for Christ Day of Service.
“Here in Searcy, there is not a large presence when it comes to environmental activism and education,” said sophomore Andrew Burnett, a member of Harding’s Roosevelt Institution, which is heavily involved in the exposés’ development. “We feel that there’s a need. We’re not in Portland where all the buses are plastered with ‘recycle’ and where everyone’s driving a hybrid.”
Championed by the Roosevelt Institution and HUmanity, the exposé on April 21 will focus primarily on recycling education, as student organizations will set up booths on the front lawn in the afternoon to disseminate information related to proper recycling methods and other environmental issues on campus. Live acoustic music, a bird walk and fresh produce from the HUmanity community garden will tentatively supplement the event’s eco-friendly atmosphere.
“I hope we can really raise awareness for the recycling program,” said senior Karie Cross, president of the Roosevelt Institution. “That’s my main goal because I think a lot of stuff still gets thrown away or gets recycled improperly. People forget to empty out the plastic bottles and will put the lids in there, and they’re not supposed to even though there’s a sign. Or they don’t rinse out the aluminum cans like they’re supposed to.”
In addition to recycling, students will learn of projects that the Environmental Stewardship Committee — a group of mostly Harding faculty members who endeavor to make Harding “greener” — is implementing. There has been discussion of introducing reusable take-out boxes to the cafeteria, as opposed to the current plastic foam boxes. Due to city laws, compost created from the student center vendors like Taco Bell and Java City cannot be reused on campus, but the compost can and is being transported to HUmanity’s community garden to foster fresh produce.
On Earth Day, April 22, five environmental service projects facilitated by the Roosevelt Institution and Environmental Stewardship Committee will comprise a segment of the available projects for the Day of Service: 1) Students wearing hip-waders and gloves will enter Gin Creek to remove debris from the creek bed, which will restore wildlife habitat. 2) Newly planted native trees behind the Ganus Athletic Center will be painted with eco-friendly paint to deter beavers that have gnawed down other trees near Gin Creek. 3) Four or five Purple Martin houses will be assembled and erected on 15 feet poles in strategic locations on campus. 4) Three bat houses will be installed. 5) Students will show environmental awareness presentations to local high school students, who may in turn participate in environmental projects that will produce data for Harding’s biology department to analyze for their study purposes.
“It’s a program designed to get high school students out there and learning and active in the environment,” said sophomore Leah Crowder.
Crowder is a Roosevelt Institution member and liaison between the Institution and the Environmental Stewardship Committee.
“Hopefully this is going to be the beginning of a bigger program,” Crowder said. “We’re kind of planting a seed for the future right now … it’s not ‘let’s do this project and present it.’ It’s ‘let’s start a project and make it part of our school system.'”
Barrett said the Roosevelt Institution views these environmental events from a permanent standpoint.
“When it comes to Roosevelt’s involvement with the [Day of Service], what we’re doing with this event is creating something that is sustainable, that’s going to be going on in the future,” Burnett said. “It’s not just going to be that day.”
Students can participate in Earth Day service projects for the Day of Service by signing up in the student center when sign-up is announced in chapel. Alternatively, they can contact Crowder or any Roosevelt member.
In addition to the exposé plans, the Roosevelt Institution, HUmanity and the Environmental Stewardship Committee anticipate organizing a campus-wide environmental expo for next fall that will feature politicians and possibly the governor, in addition to merging many campus groups together on the front lawn. This idea of a large-scale expo was the original plan for April 22 until it was tweaked to accommodate Bisons for Christ, which entails many students serving in the community instead of residing primarily on campus.
“I want leaders to really look forward to seeing what [the Roosevelt Institution] is doing and how they can be involved with us along with this huge event,” Burnett said. “We can recruit and employ every student on this campus in some way. It is going to be that big.”
The Roosevelt Institution is a national think tank that furnishes students with opportunities to create progressive policies on the local, state and national levels. The Harding chapter of Roosevelt is particularly interested in environmental awareness work because of its link to Christian responsibility.
“Why we’re involved in environmental issues is not because we’re somewhat of a barefoot or a grassroots hippie organization, but because we feel that it [environmental stewardship] aligns itself with faith-based ideals,” Burnett said. “It’s responsible.”
