For one hour on the evening of March 31, students gathered around the crackling fire pit in Waring Commons (WC) amidst smoky wind and marshmallows as part of the international event known as Earth Hour.

SEAC (Student Environmental Action Coalition) hosted the St. Mary’s Earth Hour event, which occurs when “people in over 130 countries turn off their lights and electricity for just one hour to raise awareness of climate change,” said sophomore attendee Danielle Manos. “By the way, fun fact: climate change is real,” added SEAC president, sophomore Ashok Chandwaney.

Students gathered around the WC firepit to raise awareness about climate change by turning off all lights and electrical appliances for one hour. (Photo by Kevin Baier)

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“Basically,” continued Manos, “it encourages people to leave their houses and save energy.” During Earth Hour, Chandwaney announced that SEAC members will be traveling to Annapolis to advocate wind energy and bring it to the attention of the state government.

All of the materials needed for the making of s’mores were provided at the fire pit, and gooey chocolatey goodness was had by all. Sophomore Evan Mahone attempted to cook a meal of chickpeas and spinach in a pan over the open flame, and he remarked later that his dish was quite good. To maintain the fire, old copies of The Point News were used as kindling. “Finally, The Point News is useful for something,” joked Chandwaney.

The camaraderie around the fire pit was obvious, as a constant stream of students chatted and ate for the entire hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Junior Peter Robertson noted that the event “brings us together, and keeps our friendship warm. Literally.” Earth Hour was successful in recognizing that the world’s habit of energy over-use must be broken in order to prevent climate change, all while providing students with a delightful Saturday evening.

Posted in News | Tags: Climate Change, Earth Hour, SEAC | Print View