Environmental rally to raise support for College and NYS to go green

The Global Issues class and Peace and Social Justice Department will hold an environmental rally on April 10.

"It's about making people aware. So many in the classroom said, 'I didn't know this was happening'," Linda MacCammon, head of the Peace and Social Justice Studies and Religious Studies professor, said.

MacCammon teaches the Global Issues class offered this semester. After discussing topics such as overpopulation, climate change, the energy crisis and the wasteful habits of human beings, she and the class decided to organize a rally to open the Fisher community's eyes.

"It worries me that students don't know what's going on," MacCammon said. Her goal is to get Fisher to wake up, which is also the theme of the rally.

The day will include many events planned by the students and MacCammon. A rally will be held in LeChase Commons during free period, which will end in the planting of a tree. Prior to the rally, students will be able to sign petitions to the College and New York State, demanding environmentally friendly changes and suggesting ways to get green.

The day will end with the showing of two films: Hacking Democracy and A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash. Each documentary addresses issues America currently faces. Hacking Democracy tackles the issues concerning voting and elections in the U.S., while A Crude Awakening puts the energy crisis into perspective, showing how big of a deal the addiction to oil is and the toll it's taking on the world.

However, don't expect this to be a one-time thing.

"I don't think it's ever a good idea to have an event once and for all and have the problem corrected," MacCammon said.

MacCammon believes that in order to see the changes she and her students want made, the attempt to make Fisher and America greener will be a continuing process.

To ensure progressive change at Fisher, MacCammon has joined the College's Recycling Committee, by invite of co-chair Lynn Wernert. Kaitlin Daly, Founders resident director, is also trying to start up a Recycling Club for students. Those who are interested in participating in the Recycling Committee should go to the website http://home.sjfc.edu/green and those who want to be a part of the Recycling Club should express their interests by sending an email to recycling@sjfc.edu

Students interested in attending the rally should gather in LeChase Court in front of the Wegmans School of Nursing at 12:30 p.m. on April 10. Petition tables will be set up in the Basil lobby and the Student Life Center from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

"Mother Nature is telling us to clean up our room, and we have to start doing it," MacCammon said.

As published in the Cardinal Courier, St. John Fisher College