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 Josh Freeman |
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| Earth Day '98 will feature a campus-wide emphasis on recycling. Here, a student uses one of Tech's bins. |
Contrary to what may be a common first assumption on the Tech campus, "Earth to Buzz" is not some code word for the clandestine sci-fi club or slogan for the Model Rocket Student Association. No, "Earth to Buzz" is the name of this year's Georgia Tech Earth Day, an annual campus event dating back to 1970. Earth Day activities will be held on April 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Skiles Walkway. And you're not even required to perform the Vulcan death grip to participate.
The primary issue of Earth Day '98 is sustainability, a concept which describes the ability for humans to prolong a viable earth.
"We've really stressed the sustainability issue this year... it's all about making the right choices," explained Cindy Jackson, the Director of Solid Waste Management at Georgia Tech.
In conjunction with Earth to Buzz '98, the Georgia Tech Center for Sustainable Technology will host a week-long seminar on the importance of sustainability and its vital role in society. Twenty-five Tech students have been chosen to participate in this exclusive program.
The scope of this year's Earth Day is much larger than that of previous years. The Earth Day planning committee started organizing for the day in mid-February. Participants can qualify to win for over 100 raffle prizes to promote alternate forms of transportation, including a mountain bike and a huge selection of gift certificates to downtown restaurants and nightclubs. To enter the raffle drawing, which will be held at 1 p.m., participants must sign the pledge banner at any of the over 20 informational booths. The Earth Day pledge commits students to make an effort to recycle and live in harmony with nature.
The Skiles walkway will be filled with a variety of booths through which students and faculty can browse. These interactive booths will feature displays from Alternative Transportation, the Georgia Recycling Coalition, The Environmental Forum, The GLOBE Program, the Army Environmental Institute, the Georgia Tech Master Plan and the Center for Sustainable Technology, the Campus Ecology Program, and many others. In addition, students will get a chance to drive an electric vehicle.
A recycling truck will be set up near the Earth Day activities and will be accepting aluminum, three colors of glass, newsprint, and tin cans. Members of the Georgia Tech community are encouraged to bring these recyclables from home.
If the pure spirit of environmental awareness is not enough to attract every Georgia Tech student to participate in the Earth Day festivities, perhaps the prospect of free stuff will. Free Cokes will be distributed to the first 240 participants and recycled Earth to Buzz T-shirts will be given out to the first 500 participants. These unique togs are made from recycled PET plastic bottles. The bottles are chipped, purified, cleaned, and flaked. These plastic flakes are then melted and turned into fiber which is woven into cloth.
The Georgia Tech Earth Day '98 festivities will also feature President Wayne Clough. He will attend a ceremonial tree planting at noon in the student center plaza.
Earth to Buzz '98 would not have been possible without the help of its generous sponsors. This year's Earth Day is supported by the contributions of the Georgia Tech Office of Solid Waste Management, Center for Sustainable Technology, Dining Services, and Housing, the College of Engineering, GT Cable Network, Parking Office, Student Government Association, Residence Hall Association, Environmental Forum, Southeast Paper, the Masquerade, Hard Rock Cafe, the Chili Pepper, and Marriott Management Services.
So come out and see what Georgia Tech's Earth Day '98 is all about. Don't worry, you can tape that Star Trek marathon.