Celebration in Dunn Meadow to mark Earth Day

After the week of warm weather and blinding sunshine, many students are thanking Mother Nature for their sun-kissed skin and the chance to walk to class in shorts and tank tops. \nRain or shine, today everyone can pay their thanks during the Earth Day Celebration in Dunn Meadow, from 1 to 9 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Indiana Public Interest Research Group.\nSenior Lauren Fischer, organizer of the event, said INPIRG decided to plan the festivities because nobody was celebrating Earth Day, and the group wanted to "bring knowledge about conserving and preserving our Earth" to campus.\n"We also thought it'd be a great way to kick off Little Five weekend," she said.\nAlthough the events in Dunn Meadow don't start until 1 p.m., the Earth Day celebration opens with a parade sponsored by the Bloomington Circus Collective at 11:30 a.m. The parade will begin at the Monroe County Courthouse and end at Dunn Meadow.\nAfter processing down Kirkwood Avenue, the collective will give a circus workshop, which involves activities like juggling and stilts, said sophomore Vanessa Caruso, an INPIRG volunteer who is also an employee of the Indiana Daily Student.\nPeople won't clown around all day, though. Throughout the event, music will linger in the air.\nFrom 3 to 4 p.m., Caruso said the group invites all musicians or people with drums to join the poet and drum free jam.\nIf active musical participation doesn't strike a chord with attendees, they can enjoy the evening concerts featuring live bands from 5 to 9 p.m. The bands scheduled to perform are Undefeatable Beats, Perceival Potts, Members of the Ark Band and The Swell.\nThe bands will play even in the event of rain because INPIRG has a covering over the stage, Fischer said.\nAside from music, theatrical groups will perform during the afternoon as well. Groups from Collins and Harmony School will be in attendance, as well as a group from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The SPEA environmental management group's performance will focus on the importance of conservation.\nNot only can attendees enjoy the free performances, but they can also learn how to care for the earth.\n"There are a lot of opportunities to learn a lot of easy ways to change their behavior for the earth and to take action," Caruso said. "They can learn ways to do things they believe in instead of talking about it."\nSuch an activity is the 2 p.m. tree planting outing at Sycamore Land Trust, 10 miles outside of campus. A carpool will be available for those interested, Caruso said.\nShe added INPIRG's Hunger and Homelessness program is distributing yogurt cups filled with soil and seeds for people interested in growing plants.\nCaruso said the celebration includes an organic bake sale, and the proceeds benefit a group trying to create an organic garden at the Collins center.\nIn addition to supporting foliage growth, attendees can watch a solar oven demonstration and visit the compost exhibit, Caruso said.\nAttendees who own a hybrid car can display their contribution toward conserving the environment by driving it to Dunn Meadow and parking it in a designated place.\nFischer said between the organic bake sale and the information tables set up by educational, political and campus groups, there will be an exhibit about reducing consumerism.\nAttendees can also donate extra clothes or unwanted items to the Goodwill collection site on Dunn Meadow.\nOr, if students want to spread a specific message, they can bring old T-shirts and participate in a shirt-painting event.\nAlthough students may overlook Earth Day on the calendar, Fischer encourages them to take part in the celebration.\n"I'd really like for students to come," Fischer said. "It's a great way for the diverse (student body) to come together because we have one thing in common, and that's living on this earth."\n-- Contact staff writer Ashley Rhodebeck at arhodebe@indiana.edu.