ILLUSTRATION BY DREW DZWONKOWSKI | SN
E A R T H DAY S P E C I A L E D I T I O N
As the world recognizes Earth Day, the MSU community takes a moment to reflect on the university’s conservation and sustainability efforts
Earth Day
STAT E NE WS.CO M | T HE STAT E N EWS | MON DAY, A PRIL 22, 2013
N AT U R E
CAMPUS
Earth Day Extravaganza goes on in spite of chilly weather
K ATIE STIEFEL/THE STATE NEWS
Lansing resident Bob Hodges looks at flowers on Saturday inside the greenhouses on the corner of Bogue Street and Wilson Road. The sale was organized by the MSU Horticulture Club to raise funds for next semester.
Annual spring show funds MSU’s Horticulture Club By Milan Griffes PHOTOS BY NATALIE KOLB/THE STATE NEWS
Graduate student Amber Goguen, right, lifts a tray for 9-year-old Holt resident Brenna Klaver to drop a worm into during Earth Day Extravaganza on Saturday at Fenner Nature Center. Klaver found multiple worms in the pond, along with a few insects.
By Caleb Nordgren nordgren@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
On a cold April morning, amidst occasional flurries of snow, about 150 volunteers gathered at Fenner Nature Center in Lansing for the center’s Earth Day Extravaganza. The event featured a number of nature-related events, such as pond dipping and building bluebird nests, among others. This is the second year of the Extravaganza, Fenner Conservancy Program Manager Katie Woodhams said, although the event existed in a much different format in years prior. Originally, the event was smaller and focused mainly on efforts by the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club to reach out to the community, Woodhams said. “We made it explode accidentally,” she said, smiling. MSU was well-represented at the Extravaganza, as the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club partnered with the center to organize it. The MSU Herpetology Club also was there, and while they couldn’t do a planned herpetological survey the group had planned because of the weather, co-president Hayley Sisson said she still enjoyed teaching “It’s been a good day,” the zoology junior said. “It’s just fun to come and to have the live animals and teach the kids. (Reptiles are) not gross. They’re integral, necessary parts of ecosystems. They’re really cool animals.” The concern with the survey was that since many reptiles work hard to fight the cold of winter, mainly by hiding underground, surveyors likely wouldn’t fi nd anything particularly interesting, and if
Graduate student Amber Goguen holds up a beetle she fished out of a pond during Earth Day Extravaganza hosted by Fenner Nature Center and MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club on Saturday at Fenner Nature Center.
“Overall, it’s just seeing all the people here contributing (to a) multi-faceted educational experience. To see such a diverse set of people working together is ... heartwarming.” Katie Woodhams, Conservancy Program Manager
they did find some reptiles, the disturbance could kill them. Instead, they set up a table inside where visitors could observe live reptiles up close. A ways down the trail from the center proper, MSU graduate student Amber Goguen was set up at the pond dipping station. Pond dipping simply is the act of using nets to sift through the debris of a pond to see what organisms inhabit the pond. Goguen explained that certain insects that live in ponds are bioindicators. By observing the insects in one pond against the same insects from a different pond, scientists can learn about the degrees of pollution in one area or another. Goguen said her favorite
parts of pond dipping are the act of discovery in it and that kids love doing it. She said kids love learning about new and different types of insects and organisms that inhabit various ponds. There are a number of goals for the Extravaganza, Woodhams said, such as restoring habitats, staving off invasive species and generally raising awareness. But she said her favorite part was seeing all the volunteers come out and give their time to the event. “Overall, it’s just seeing all the people here contributing (to a) multi-faceted educational experience,” Woodhams said. “To see such a diverse set of people working together is really heart warming.”
griffes4@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
The Horticulture Club welcomed the change of season with its annual spring show this weekend in the greenhouse at the corner of Bogue Street and Wilson Road . Attendees of the show purchased plants for their gardens and viewed a sculpted landscape display. Horticulture senior Nick Calderone, the show’s designer, was in charge of crafting the landscape. “(With) the display, the point is to showcase plants in their landscape,” Calderone said. “We always have a spring show theme. This year, we’re doing ‘Sensory Overload.’” Calderone said the landscape was divided into two sections — one that exhibited shade-loving and sunloving plants, and the other showcasing plants exciting to particular senses. The ‘touch’
category displayed Lamb’s Ear, a plant with notably soft leaves. The ‘smell’ category hosted an array of Fragrant Geraniums, which emit a strong odor similar to that of lemon. Head grower Arianna Wilcox, also a horticulture senior, supervised the growth and care of the plants at the show. “I make sure all the plants stay watered, are pruned and get deadheaded,” Wilcox said. The annual show is the main source of income for the Horticulture Club. Wilcox, who has helped organize the show for four years, said the club begins preparing for the show about nine months in advance. He said that the weekend-long show brings in approximately $50,000 for the club each year. “This is the only fundraiser we have for the club all year,” Wilcox said. “It gives our students more situational experience – things they might face in industry.” Marcus Duck is one of the faculty advisors of the club. He has been involved with the show for
10 years, always in an advisory capacity. “The most amazing thing about this is that the students do it voluntarily,” Duck said. “They work tremendous hours on top of their classes and jobs.” Duck also noted the occupational benefits students take away from organizing the show. “Putting together the show is a nice networking opportunity for the students,” he said. “It’s a way to introduce students to jobs.” The Horticulture Club, which has about 35 active members, uses the money raised at the spring show to fund trips to events across the country. This year, the club attended the Student Career Day of the Professional Landcare Network , or PLANET, at the University of Auburn in Alabama. Horticulture sophomore Emily Consigli, a first-year member of the club, placed in the top25 in her category, Interior Plant Identification. “It’s like the landscape Olympics,” she said.
Clean Commute 5K
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Includes a free 1-Mile Multimodal Excursion and Clean Air Fair
Saturday, April 27 Hawk Island Park, Lansing All proceeds benefit Mid-Michigan Asthma Coalition
cleancommute.org
THE STATE N E WS | M O N DAY, AP RI L 22, 2 01 3 | STATENEWS.COM
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SPARTANS GET GREEN CERTIFIED
Congratulations to the following Be Spartan Green Student Pledges: Aaron Aguirre
Jalen Walker
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Abbie Newton
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Campus Sustainability recognizes campus spaces that have proved they are Spartan Green
Abbie Newton
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Alexander Underwood
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Content Provided by Campus Sustainability
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Alexandra Gregor Alexis Downes Alexis Parker Alexus Harris Alicia Partynski Allisa VanMaren Allison McGinn Allison Westerheide
Congratulations to the many units that completed Green CertiďŹ cation during the 2012-2013 academic year:
43 Kitchens 4 Information Tech 3 Laboratories 70 For the complete list of certiďŹ ed units, please visit: bespartangreen.msu.edu/greencert
Jasneet Jhita Jeanette Bay
Nicholas Tazziolo Nick Everett Nicole Lewis
Jennifer Aldridge
Nicole Mannino
Jennifer Hurand
Nicole Sanchez
Jennifer Thach
Nicole Wandtke
Jeroen de Vor
Nitasha Cox
Jesse Stamann
Noah Julyk
Jessica Camburn
Nyasha Makoni
Jessica Greathouse
Patricia Kim
Jessica Kaczmarek
Peter Cernak
Alyssa Crough
Jessica Morrison
Alyssa Kelly
Jewell Bell
Andrew Tyus
Jiajun Lan
Anna Wright
Joanna Kukla
Porscha Taylor
Anthony Russel
Joe DeLaVergne
Preston Myles
Antonio Hamilton
Joey Vanderbosch
Qian Wang
Ashley Osentoski
Jon Woo
Rachel Karanja
Assane Niang
Jonathan Dowdall
Rachel Suggs
Athena Antonis
Jordan Donnelly
Rachel Tate
Austin Childress
Jordan Hensley
Rajiv Vutukuku
Austin McCann
Jordan Rivett
Ben English
Jorrian Whaley
Benjamin Hesskamp
Joseph Trubiano
Billy Winbush
Joshua Willard
Blair Pitcairn
Joshua Wilson
Brad Siemen
Justin Briggs
Brandi Juengel
Justine Becker
Brandon King
Kani Caldwell
Ruoxuan Wang
Brian Vella
Katelyn Pluff
Ruth Bauer
Briana Williams
Katharina Freiberger
Ryan Diamond
Brianna Gerondale
Josh Shafquat
Kathryn Kaleth
Peter Colasanti Peter Drent
Ray Simon Rebecca Ellis Rhiannon Pokriefka Robert Paquette Robin Smith Runsheng Wang
Ryan Kimball Ryan McCarthy
Brianna Hui
Kathryn Stegeman
Brion Thomas
Katie Hanlon
Caitlin Ramsey
Ryan Winkler
Caitlyn Przybysz
Katlynn Beerbower
Cameron Sova
Katy Gwizdala
Samantha Kortas
Cara Whinnery
Kayla Davis
Carolinne Ogura
Kayla Parvizi
Samantha Mitchelson
Casey Hogarth
Kaylee Denink
Samantha Roberts
Chantel Romero
Kelly Ferguson Kendra Caldwell
Samantha Van Atta
Kennisha Williams
Sami Schmidt
Chris Wolfenbarger Chrissy Portera Christina Ignasiar
Kevin Banducci
Ryan Smith Ryann Gustafson
Sanders Aspelund
Kevin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hagan
Sandy Sanchez
Kevin White
Sapna Bhalsod
Cody Harrell
Kia Benson
Sarah Arent
Colleen Otte
Kiara Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor
Sarah Brunner
Connor Doud
Kim Krakosky
Sarah Casey
Cordelia Breiner
Kim On Lam
Seven Mattes
Courtney Roberts
Kimberly Nalezyty
Shaun Hetu
Kody Day
Sherilyn Rong
Kush Patel
Shobana Ganganithi
Christopher Churay
Daniel McKenna Daniel Thomas Darian McCathern
Kyle Kerrick
Dayna Atkinson
Kyle Sims
Silvia Villanueva
Devan Cohen
Kyle Siporin
Sitong Sai
Devine Carson
Kylie Gowell
Sivaram Murthy
Diana Jasser
Lane Vogt
Diane Kabine
Lauren Reid
Somalia GandyDix
Dillon Jaghory
Leanna Lim
Stephanie Jones
Donovan Wilson
Lindsey Spooner
Stephanie Lyle
Drew Stapleton
Lucas Deline
Stephanie Peppler
Dutt Patel
Lydia Weiss
Stephen Plont
Dwayne Carson
Mack Jones
Stephen Wooden
Dylan Bambach
Mackauly Blair
Edward Kowalczyk
Maddy Salo
Elizabeth Gil
Makie Hill
Elliot Rowley
Margaret Shea
Tamika Lofton
Emily Moffitt
Mariah Boynton
Tang Nina
Emily Rathburn
Mark Jones
Tanner Delpier
Eric Seeley
Mary Hennessy
Tara Marier
Erica Gohil
Matt Rincon
Taylor Deberry
Erin Hunt
Matt Wesolowski
Tecoria Strother
Fatima Din
Matthew Murphy
George Carson
Tierra Nelson
Megan Hudson
Gerald Dixon
Megan Molloy
Timothy Christensen
Giordan Gibson
Meghan Huynh
Travis Karhoff
Gregory Rokisky
Mengshi Zhao
Haja Fofanah
Michael Burger
Haley Michaels
Michael McClure
Hannah Witt
Michael Murphy
Heather Harmon
Michael Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keefe
Heather Hoffmeyer
Michael Sullivvan
Henry Grundemann
Michelle Stetor
Hunter Stites
Mitchell Treadwell
Vidisha Paranjpe
Miya DeVoogd
Wesley Mathews
Mohammadreza Bidar
Xiao Ling
J. Andrew Stables Jack Stephan Jacob Burr Jacob Gibson
Madison Lathem
Michaela Wallace
Molly Griffin
Jacob Muckley
Monique Daignault
Jake Beachum
Myisha Smiley
Steven Lyszczarz Steven Moran Tamara Patterson
Trevor Drost Trevor Kearns Tyler Cunningham Tyler Defrain Veronica Morris Victoria Bujny
Ye Bin Yoon Zachary Smith Zak Fields Zuwei Li