• the217
• Life
• Remember Mother Earth

Related Media

See More About these Events

Earth Day Celebration »

• Event has already occurred
• Orpheum Children's Science Museum »
  346 N. Neil St. Champaign, IL 61820
  (Show on map)

April 22 is a very important date in history: It’s Earth Day. Don’t tell me you forgot about Earth Day. You surely remember the times in grade school when it was Earth Day and you got to plant a little seed in an empty milk carton, only to forget about it and come back two weeks later to see a mess of wilted leaves. Shame on you. Now that you are grown and wiser, it would be nice of you to pay thanks to Mother Earth in a less sadistic way. Thanks to many Earth-conscious organizations in the CU area, you can do so without leaving campus.

If getting down and dirty is your fancy, check out Boneyard Creek’s Community Day on April 18. Students and residents can help clean debris and garbage that accumulate in and around the Boneyard Creek.

“In the past, we’ve found some pretty interesting things in the creek,” said Debby Auble, the sponsorship chair for the event. “There was a microwave, a doll house, a car bumper, just to name a few.”

You can also help with attaching medallions to storm drains to remind people to be cautious with what they are throwing in the drains. Both these activities give students the opportunity to make a difference locally. “A lot of people don’t know the creek exists,” said Cecily Smith, a member of the organizing committee. “This gives them the chance to connect to the creek and appreciate it.”

You can register to volunteer online at

Feeling crafty after the cleanup? The Planeteers, a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on campus that promotes environmental concerns, will be hosting an Earth Day event on April 22. The club will have several tables set up with different eco-friendly activities to partake in. Students will be able to participate in an organic food tasting, update their wardrobe at a clothes stenciling station, decorate their bike and score some new décor at the plant giveaway.

“We wanted to do this to remind everyone of Earth Day,” said Megan McDermott, a junior in LAS and co-captain of the Planeteers.

The festivities will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Allen Hall front porch and are open to anyone. “It’s a nice way to enjoy a day that’s really positive,” said McDermott. “It’s outside, you can do whatever you would like; it’ll be a fun way to spend the afternoon.”

So whether you decide to gather garbage or bedazzle your bike, you will surely be making a difference. Bonus: It will definitely make up for the grade school plant massacre. Now go out there and show Mama Earth some lovin’.