By Kim Schneider
EAST LIVERPOOL -- At the Earth Day Environmental Justice Conference on April 24, student and guest speakers led discussions on various environmental topics in an all-day forum.
The conference opened with a continental breakfast and a welcome with a few words from Assistant Dean Susan Rossi, pictured left.
Susan Rossi welcomed everyone for attending the event and expressed what Earth Day was like for her while growing up in the 1970’s. Rossi reminisced about the Cuyahoga River and how its pollutants caught the river on fire. She brought up old icons such as Woodsey Owl and Kermit the Frog. “If you were into conservation, it meant listening to John Denver on the radio,” Rossi said.
Following the Rossi's speech, the crowd dispersed to several rooms throughout the building to listen to the student essays on Earth Day. The speeches touched on a range of topics: bees and wildlife, recycling, endangered animals, to celebrating the environment, health issues, pollution, global warming, protecting the environment, environmental experiences and water.
The crowd regathered after the student essays to listen to speakers, including Lance Schmidt from Portage and Summit Counties Home Builders Association and Stephen B
riggs, who discussed “Electric Transportation Technologies: Environmental and Economic Development Opportunities for Ohio.”
During the lunch break, Eric Wilson, pictured right, gave a presentation on Beaver Creek: A New Look at Nature.
By early afternoon, a head count of people that included both students and community members was approximately 150. The number of attendees demonstrates a public interest in environmental issues. The late afternoon count brought the total higher.
Likewise, knowledge of the number of attendees is reassuring to those who presented information; they touched others by increasing their awareness. In light of this, the event was a success.
EAST LIVERPOOL -- At the Earth Day Environmental Justice Conference on April 24, student and guest speakers led discussions on various environmental topics in an all-day forum.
The conference opened with a continental breakfast and a welcome with a few words from Assistant Dean Susan Rossi, pictured left.
Susan Rossi welcomed everyone for attending the event and expressed what Earth Day was like for her while growing up in the 1970’s. Rossi reminisced about the Cuyahoga River and how its pollutants caught the river on fire. She brought up old icons such as Woodsey Owl and Kermit the Frog. “If you were into conservation, it meant listening to John Denver on the radio,” Rossi said.
Following the Rossi's speech, the crowd dispersed to several rooms throughout the building to listen to the student essays on Earth Day. The speeches touched on a range of topics: bees and wildlife, recycling, endangered animals, to celebrating the environment, health issues, pollution, global warming, protecting the environment, environmental experiences and water.
The crowd regathered after the student essays to listen to speakers, including Lance Schmidt from Portage and Summit Counties Home Builders Association and Stephen B
riggs, who discussed “Electric Transportation Technologies: Environmental and Economic Development Opportunities for Ohio.”During the lunch break, Eric Wilson, pictured right, gave a presentation on Beaver Creek: A New Look at Nature.
By early afternoon, a head count of people that included both students and community members was approximately 150. The number of attendees demonstrates a public interest in environmental issues. The late afternoon count brought the total higher.
Likewise, knowledge of the number of attendees is reassuring to those who presented information; they touched others by increasing their awareness. In light of this, the event was a success.
