The California State University in Long Beach held their 11th annual Green Generation showcase at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden in preparation for Earth Day on April 21.
The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is a botanical garden located on the CSULB campus. It features a large, green scenery with a pond, bridges, and a zen garden.
On Thursday, it was open to anyone with reservations looking to learn more about the environment, accommodated with free parking, handouts, raffles and live music.
Posters and projects by CSULB students were displayed on boards near the entrance; They researched a variety of topics ranging from organic farming to food waste.
One of the booths present at the event was run by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. They work with over 200,000 volunteers across the nation to emphasize the importance of climate change.
“By visiting our website, you can send a pre-written or custom email to Biden, your local senators, and your House representatives,” said a CCL spokesperson. “We have talks at local organizations, rotary clubs, and a student group on campus who partly support CCL’s goals.”
The group emphasized that the time to urge politicians and officials is now before it is too late. Climate change has been discussed in the past but,if left unattended, it will ruin the Earth for future generations.
The Long Beach Water Department also made an appearance at the event, helping local residents and students learn about utilities and home renovations.
“We’re out here promoting efficiency and water use,” said a representative from the Water Department. “We promote residential rebates, as well as information about installing and maintaining California native or drought-tolerant plants you can plant at home.”
Attendants who visited the booth were also encouraged to participate in a game that they held for a chance to win reusable and environmentally-friendly equipment.
One of the more national groups that had set up a booth was the Sierra Club. Their main goal as a larger organization is to protect the Earth’s ‘wild places’.
“It’s a national organization that is involved in things like conservation and water issues. What they have here in Long Beach is a focus on electrification transportation,” said Club representative, Joey.
As a coastal county, city and state, water practically serves as a second home to those who live nearby.
“One of the things we’re working on is mainly clean transportation on drainage trucks and heavy cargo equipment,” the Sierra Club said.
“The ports are one of the largest polluters,” Joey emphasized. “We’re talking about a quarter of the region’s air pollution coming from the ports alone.”
If cleaned and maintained, it would mean that the surrounding region’s pollution levels would drastically decrease and further help the environment, making our ocean cleaner than ever.
Many other booths at the event advocated for important topics such as the preservation of bees, organic food/drinks, and electric stations for zero-emission vehicles all in light of working to care for the planet.
Although only for a day, the Green Generation showcase stresses the importance of keeping our environment healthy.
