Students Celebrate Earth Day at South Georgia Tech

April 30, 2018
A row of 7 people walk side by side. SGTC campus in background.
Students and faculty members march through SGTC’s Americus campus, holding “green” protest signs and picking up trash along the way in observance of Earth Day.

South Georgia Technical College students and faculty members celebrated Earth Day recently by picking up trash around both campuses, parading through campus with awareness signs, hugging trees and doing yoga in the grass.

On the Americus campus, Nikki Thompson, Orientation Team Co-Coordinator, organized the event for students to participate in. Members of the Orientation Team, Student Government Association (SGA), and the Jets Basketball team walked along side instructors and fellow students to raise awareness for Earth Day.

The parade started in front of Hicks Hall, where participants grabbed awareness signs and walked to the pond behind the President’s House, picking up trash along the way and learning about sustainability from Orientation Team co-coordinator Nikki Thompson. When they arrived to the pond, participants were encouraged to hug a tree, walk in the grass without shoes or socks (called “Earthing”), meditate in the grass and hold a few yoga poses. Participants were invited back to Hicks Hall following the event to have water and learn more about the purpose of Earth Day.

On the Crisp County Center campus in Cordele, students were encouraged to join members of the SGA and National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) in a Campus Clean Up activity to commemorate the day. Students and faculty members walked around the campus and along the college’s Adopt-A-Mile picking up litter. The first 50 volunteers received a grilled lunch, courtesy of the Culinary Arts Department.

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first established in 1970, is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

Four people stand with a tree in the middle of them. Two people have their arms around the tree.

Orientation Team members and advisors hug a tree in observation of Earth Day.

Students stand in a circle doing a yoga pose.

Americus participants do Yoga by the pond as part of the Earth Day activity.

Individuals sit in a circle with their legs crossed.

The Americus participants meditate in the grass in observance of Earth Day.

A group of people stand together, holding up signs made of construction paper.

The Americus clean-up group hold their awareness signs up by the pond.

A group of students stand in front of three flag poles.

A group of students who participated in the Earth Day Campus Clean Up on SGTC’s Crisp County Center campus stand together before picking up trash around the campus and along the highway.