Bethel Welcomes Earth Day

On Earth Day, April 22, the Bethel campus adopts a few more trees and undergoes a friendly clean-up grooming. Which is business as usual, because members of the Bethel community strive to assume an Earth Day attitude year-round, taking initiative for green living every day. “In Genesis 2:15, God calls Adam and Eve to ‘work’ [and] ‘keep’ the garden,” explains junior Colin Veerman, a leader of the Creation Restoration (CR) club on campus. “In the Greek translation of this verse, God called Adam and Eve to ‘serve’ and ‘preserve’ the garden,” he continues. “We believe this serve and preserve mentality should be lived out by each and every one of us.”

CR plans to host a variety of hands-on activities in celebration of Earth Day. Students volunteer on April 21 at the Great River Greening Restoration Event, assisting with buckthorn removal efforts in Indian Mounds Regional Park, home to a dwindling species of native oak savanna. Earth Day itself entails a campus clean-up and tree planting. CR is also sponsoring a clothing swap to encourage students to re-use what they have.

CR leads a campus-wide Buckthorn Removal day on April 28. Volunteers focus on marking female buckthorn in area 5, the land between the walkway and Brushaber Commons, extending north toward the seminary. These efforts will be part of a more extensive buckthorn removal project that Bethel plans to oversee in the coming year.

Sodexo has also been a key player in Bethel’s green awareness. On April 19, local farmers and vendors displayed their products outside the Monson Dining Center as part of Sodexo’s Earth Day fair. Cody, the “Real Deal Buffalo” from Buffalo Gal Farms, also made an appearance in Kresge Courtyard in the center of Bethel’s campus. Students enjoyed a day of local tastings, a tray-less lunch, a special dining center menu, and Earth Day specials in the Royal Grounds coffee shop and 3900 Grill eatery. CR also hosted a booth, offering information on campus recycling changes and tips to reduce carbon footprint.