Students plan Environmental Fair at high school

An Environmental Community Fair will be held at the Fredonia High School gymnasium on Saturday, April 21, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The activities, aimed at both children and adults, are free and all are welcome. The Student Association’s environmental affairs committee at SUNY Fredonia is sponsoring the event.

Designed to raise awareness and encourage environmental stewardship in the community, the event is part of National Environmental Education Week, observed during the week surrounding Earth Day, which is April 22.

The fair will offer people of all ages fun ways to learn about today’s environmental issues, and how to conserve in their own homes. For all those who attend, there will be the option to participate in a Chinese Auction sponsored by area businesses.

At 1 p.m., Colin Chase of Jamestown will be presenting the slide show created by former Vice President Al Gore, entitled, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Mr. Chase was one of 1,000 people in the U.S. to receive training on the slide show and the issues within it. The fair will be ongoing during the slideshow, and other activities will also be available.

“This is a chance for our entire community to gather together and learn about how each person can have an amazing effect on the world around them. Each individual in our community has the power to spark immense change,” said Ashley Andrews, a freshman English major who is an officer in the Student Association’s environmental affairs committee. A 2006 graduate of Fredonia High School, she added, “There has never been more of a need for environmental education for our nation’s youth. A recent MTV Poll conducted in June of 2006 shows that teenagers think the environment is the most pressing problem they think they will have to face in their lifetime.”

The student group at SUNY Fredonia is one of many participating in National Environmental Education Week. In all, over three million students and 100,000 educators are expected to take part in the national program, culminating in over 5,000 Earth Day service projects and 50 million hours of nature and environmental education by April 22.

In schools across the country, Environmental Education Week organizers are providing tips and for getting involved in nature. Suggestions include:

· Planting trees: The National Arbor Day Foundation has an online tool to help you put the right tree in the right place at www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/

· Taking a group to your local zoo, aquarium, or nature center. Enter your state at www.aza.org/FindZooAquarium/ for links to members of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

· Taking the Energy Hog Challenge: The Alliance to Save Energy provides an interactive guide for students to learn good energy-saving habits, help their families save money by reducing home energy bills, and protect natural resources for future generations

According to Ms. Andrews, the Student Association’s environmental affairs committee is dedicated to environmental issues surrounding recycling, climate change, foods, transportation, and education. To learn more about what the group does on campus, send an e-mail.