By Matt Jones Design/Features Editor Bells rang around the world March 20, marking the 30th anniversary of Earth Day. At exactly 2:35 a.m., the moment of the vernal equinox, the Peace Bell was rung at the United Nations building in New York as well as sites around the globe, including Austria, Lithuania and San Francisco, the birthplace of Earth Day. The global event, which promotes educational awareness of environmental issues, was designed to bring political attention and worldwide discussion of pollution, depletion of natural resources and other environmental concerns. Nationally, observers have declared April 22 as Earth Day, a day set aside to recognize and celebrate the earth-related events and educational programs throughout the United States. On campus, members of the environmental organizations TERRA and Roots and Shoots will distribute fact sheets and educational material to promote Earth Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the Student Center. Pam Gomez, faculty adviser to Roots and Shoots, said the display will give students, faculty and staff an opportunity to find out ways they can get involved or participate in Earth Day awareness and events. "Everyone can do something to celebrate and recognize the importance of taking care of the Earth," Gomez said. "We hope to tell people what those things are and how even the smallest things can make a difference." Members of TERRA and Root and Shoots will focus on automobile emissions and offer tips for reducing wasteful emissions while driving a vehicle. Billy Woodrich, owner of Campus Cycles, located on West Berry Street, donated a custom bicycle to help TCU community members recognize the week. It will be raffled today, following the 1 p.m. event. Members of TERRA and Roots and Shoots will also observe Earth Day by working with Citizens for Curbside Recycling to celebrate 10 years of recycling programs in Fort Worth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Worth Zoo. Despite unified efforts to recognize Earth Day, Gomez said the secret to saving the world lies in the hands of students. "Environmental improvement is going to happen through lifestyle changes as we learn to work, shop and live in our own neighborhoods," she said. "My fight for a better world is for future generations." She also said it is important for students to understand their role and responsibility in caring for the Earth. "We are a spoiled society and want instant gratification all the time," she said. "But I believe the students can still make changes. They are young and still believe that they can make a difference." Carol Henger, a sophomore environmental science major and president of TERRA, said convenience is a major factor preventing students from making environmentally minded decisions. "If something is more convenient or costs less, I think people have a hard time passing it up," Henger said. "It's just easier for people to do whatever is the quickest thing." Henger said Earth Day brings national and local concern of environmental issues to the university's academic setting. "It educates people about the Earth," she said. "If nothing else, it brings attention to important issues and helps people get important information." The City of Fort Worth and Mayor Kenneth Barr will also observe Earth Day by holding the second annual Care for Cowtown Clean Air Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 28 on Main Street, between Third and Fourth streets. Haily Summerford, a public education specialist for the Fort Worth department of environmental management, said the fair will feature 45 educational booths, solar ovens and air quality projects by Paschal High School students. Summerford said event organizers are expecting nearly 5,000 attendees at this year's celebration. She said the fair will be the first community event held downtown since a tornado ripped through the area March 28. The event, Summerford said, will stress the importance of proper vehicle maintenance and how it helps reduce air pollution. "We believe the event has made an impact," Summerford said. "People are calling and asking for more information." Christina Byrnes, a freshman philosophy major and Green Party activist, said events like Earth Day help remind people how serious some issues are. "It seems like the environment is becoming less and less of an issue in politics and everyday lives," Byrnes said. "I think that it is good that people take a day to recognize the Earth." Byrnes said Green politics promote goals of peace and prosperity through environmental awareness and wisdom. "The Earth is all we have," she said. "Without it, the human race will not survive."
Matt Jones
By Steven Baker Campus Editor John Lee, music minister at Travis Avenue Baptist Church, said he believes Easter should be celebrated as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the Rev. Samuel Schaal, minister of Westside Unitarian Church, said he believes there is more to the story. "What we focus on is the Easter story," Lee said. "Easter is not Easter without the resurrection. If people celebrate Easter, they are celebrating the resurrection." Despite the Christian heritage and traditional methods of observing Easter, Schaal said Easter can be a time for anyone to experience a time of rebirth. "It is not about the resurrection of one man but about the resurrection in our own lives," Schaal said. "That is the story of Easter." Whichever way one chooses to celebrate Easter, some non-Christian symbols of Easter, like the rabbit and the eggs, date back to customs that were practiced before the birth of Christ. Easter falls on the first "full ecclesiastical moon," as defined by church tables, on a Sunday immediately following, or on the vernal equinox, according to the Web site (www.ReligiousTolerance.org).
According to the Web site, one view is that the name Easter actually dates back to Eostre, who was the goddess of fertility to the Saxons in Northern Europe. Eostre's symbols were the hare and the egg because they represented rebirth, renewal and fertility. According to the site, eggs were also used in some resurrection festivals, and painted eggs were dyed and hung in Egyptian temples. Another explanation of the season dates back to when Frankish church members wore white robes during their resurrection festival. The Latin word for white, "alba," was mistranslated into German as "ostern," which is where the word Easter could have come from, according to (www.ReligiousTolerance.org). Daryl Schmidt, chairman of TCU's religion department and a professor of religion, said an example of non-Christian beliefs being mixed with Christian symbols is present in Giovanni Bellini's "Christ Blessing." The painting contains red and white hares behind Christ. These ancient symbols - specifically the white hare - were used to represent purity. Kenneth Lawrence, an associate professor of religion, said some churches allowed these symbols to be displayed in the church, with the new focus being on Christ. "A new religious perspective is emerging on the scene where there are already long-established traditions," Lawrence said. "So a few things from the old tradition come along because they have meaning in the new faith." Schmidt said it was at the end of the 19th century that a movement advocating a literal understanding of the Bible was begun by conservatives. "None of this art would have been permissible if a literalist view had been predominant," Schmidt said. Schaal said Easter contains deep symbolic meanings for all of us, whether we are Christians are not. But he said he doubts the historical resurrection of Jesus. "All good scholars realize that the Bible is not 100 percent historically true," Schaal said. "You don't read it like a textbook, but it does have very deep spiritual truths. You have to approach it for what it is."
Steven Baker |
However, the origin and history of the celebration are often
disputed.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |