CAIRO: We truly believe that making a change can be up to you when it comes to adopting eco-friendlier habits. We cherish the notion of Earth Day and the different things people do to celebrate it. April 22, 2010, was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. If we go back 40 years in time, we’ll find that politics was devoid of environmental issues- they had plenty on their hands; an aborted Apollo 13 mission, segregation, Vietnam war protests, and other protests in Europe and North America. Then, a blend of civil participation, arts and hazardous environmental crimes created a new era in which the environment was on the political agenda and environmental industrial crimes were acknowledged and fought against with legislation as well as activism. It took millions of people and 40 years of commitment to have molded the Earth Day celebration into the global beacon that it is nowadays. Millions in 190 countries all over the globe celebrate this day with events of all kinds and sizes. Locally speaking, in Egypt, several institutions decided to take action. Nile FM gave tips to listeners on April 22 to help them go green. Additionally, they mentioned some of the recycling facilities and similar efforts so that listeners could benefit from such services. In the American University in Cairo (AUC), an Earth week was held. It was an event organized by The Sustainable Campus Committee (SCC) to celebrate Earth Day, a day dedicated to inspire awareness and appreciation for our planet. SCC is a relatively new committee founded by The Desert Development Center at AUC and is comprised of a team of 20 volunteers including students and faculty members all working towards one goal. “The committee’s goal is to bring together people interested in the environment from around AUC’s campus, to pool ideas and develop strategies for making AUC’s campus more sustainable,†said Tina Jaskolski, a member of the Desert Development Center at AUC. Among the events that took place that week, April 18-22, was an educational film screening. A mobile team entered 20 AUC departments and educated 121 staff members about waste management. They’ve also been able to show this video. Cilantro coffee shop endorsed SCC during Earth week and decided to contribute to lowering its carbon footprint by selling Cilantro coffee mugs instead of paper cups. AUCians who brought their mugs would receive a L.E. 1 discount on their coffee. SCC decided to name the event Earth Week in celebration of Earth Day, and since AUC had recently modified its waste separation system, SCC decided to take this opportunity and promote recycling. “We decided to focus on raising awareness of waste management issues during Earth Week. Earth Week contained of a number of events, such as two flower plantings, Sustainable Campus Tours and a Drum Show on trash objects,†said Jaskolski, adding that there was an information booth for people to leave messages and discuss innovative ideas on sustainable solutions for life on campus. Also in AUC, the student club Volunteers in Action demonstrated their support by holding this event the weekend before Earth Day. Buzzy Bee Day Care Center, a not-for-profit day care in Heliopolis, Cairo, also commemorated Earth Day. The day care center operates under the Reggio educational philosophy for pre-schools. To celebrate Earth Day-April 22nd- and teach the kids some planet love, they held a 2nd hand clothes sale at their center. If you have kids, this is the place to take them to when you’re looking for professional as well as eco-conscious care. For more information visit their website. We hope more entities and individuals have done something no matter how small on Earth Day and that this day will continue to push towards more positive impact-laden actions towards climate change. Eco Options Egypt
