{"id":117242,"date":"2020-05-01T13:26:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T23:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=117242"},"modified":"2020-07-02T09:27:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T19:27:42","slug":"earth-day-50th-anniversary-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/01\/earth-day-50th-anniversary-online\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> went digital to celebrate Earth Day 50th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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UH<\/abbr> colleges celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day online<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> campuses refused to let COVID-19 keep them from celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, or L\u0101 Honua. From a month-long web series to a student-made Earth Day video, the UH<\/abbr> colleges went digital to honor the special milestone in April.<\/p>\n

Unlike past years, UH<\/abbr> and Kupu AmeriCorps VISTA<\/a> collaborated to create a “Virtual Earth Month” series for the entire month of April. Topic-based guides were posted online<\/a> to provide facts, resources and activities to help connect communities to each other and the earth.<\/p>\n

Activities included virtual workshops for zero waste living and backyard composting, webinars on beach protection issues and sustainable parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, an environmental film festival hosted by Kauaʻi<\/span> Community College and so much more.<\/p>\n

Virtual Earth Month also featured Virtual Volunteer Week Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/a>, where volunteers could donate food and other supplies, plant a home garden and offer support to healthcare workers and local businesses.<\/p>\n

Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> CC<\/abbr> VISTA AmeriCorps Campus Sustainability and Resilience Fellow, Charlotte Cheek<\/strong>, helped add to the celebration with a bilingual, collaborative video called L\u0101 Honua<\/em>. Beautiful views of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and bright smiles of students, faculty and staff are showcased as they share their sustainability tips and the significance of Earth Day.<\/p>\n

The video serves as a positive reminder that even through daunting times like the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable living and staying virtually connected with the community is possible.<\/p>\n

“Living in a time of uncertainty, every breath confined to a face mask, as we now have all this time to reflect,” said Tyanna Aranaydo<\/strong> in the documentary, “we give Earth time to heal, we give Earth a break—a chance to catch a breath, to rejuvenate.”<\/p>\n

The UH<\/abbr> Office of Sustainability<\/a> is grateful for everyone working to advance and teach aloha ʻāina<\/span> across the campuses to guide what Earth Day can mean for those in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> every day of the year.<\/p>\n