William & Mary does Earth Week

Get pumped, children. Earth Day is this Friday. Which means we get to celebrate all. Week. Long.

William and Mary Sustainability has organized an Earth Week for several years. A collaborative effort with the Office of Sustainability and students around campus creates a week with tons of super-duper fun events.

This year’s Earth Week not only has an overarching theme – The World Around Us – but each individual day has an individual theme. Monday is forest, Tuesday is soil, Wednesday is water, Thursday is air, and Friday is how we relate to the environment.

Yet anyone who has been to an Earth Week before knows that one of the highlights is Saturday’s Homebrewaroo, which includes a reading of The Lorax by President Taylor Reveley. Abby, a Junior, fondly recalls this particular event. While somewhat unfortunate that Reveley himself does not dress like the Lorax himself, we take what we can get.

Many of the students involved with the planning are a part of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). Marie, a freshman, is one such student. Although the planning begins during the fall semester, the week creeps up on the coordinators and makes it rather hectic. However, the process is worth it, according to Marie, who enjoys being able to communicate to the student body the importance of sustainability and to learn what local resources pertaining to the environment exist.

Let’s take a moment to discuss how swaggy SEAC is. Under the umbrella of “Big SEAC” are a bunch of campaigns, varying from Take Back the Tap to Energy Justice to Recycling. They call their secretaries SEACretaries. It’s funny.

But they are more than funny – members are passionate and inspiring. Anne, a senior, was not able to be a part of an environmental organizations in her previous schools. She transferred here after “stalking” SEAC (among other reasons, but for our intents and purposes here there shall be a bit of hyperbole). She loves the commitment from the students to sustainability.

Save the Earth: It’s the only planet with chocolate

Although Earth Week 2016 is nearly over, check out as many events as possible on the event Facebook page. But the geocentric fun around campus never stops! SEAC welcomes drop-ins to their weekly Big SEAC meetings or campaigns. This coming Sunday they are hosting Groovin’ in the Garden to teach the student body about the campus gardens (which are behind the Caf btw. #youlearnsomethingeveryday). There will be food and music and a new gazebo.

Earth Week is awesome. SEAC is awesome. This planet is awesome.