Students try to raise awareness

All it takes is one tablespoon of an environmentally friendly soap, a washing machine and a basket of dirty clothes.

• Photos

Back | Next

Back | Next

You will not find this laundry detergent in the store. It's a product created by a Central Lakes College instructor that is earth-friendly and saves people money.

CLC student Sera Rardin Wednesday shared the soap product recipe with spectators at the Earth Day celebration hosted at the college campus in Brainerd. Rardin said the product would allow a household to do 32 loads of clothes for less than 4 cents per load. Rardin talked about the recipe and handed out samples. She had two samples, a liquid form for people with their own sewer system and a powdered form for those living in the city.

The Earth Day celebration at CLC was just one part of the event. The Lakes Area Clean Waters Council sponsored the Earth Day celebration, which included informational booths and educational sessions at the college and Northland Arboretum.

Esther Kreutzfeldt sold pine tree seedlings for 4-H Wednesday during the Central Lakes College Earth Day celebration in Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.

Rardin, who also is a member of the CLC Environmental Committee that formed six months ago, said the Earth Day event is a good reminder for people to recycle and to be more friendly to their environment.

Ali Meyer, a CLC student, said the environmental studies class organized the Earth Day events at CLC. Meyer said each student had to find a sponsor for a booth as part of a class project. There were about 35 sponsors at the college. The students also made posters and presentations on environmental topics. The presentations ranged from rain gardens to stormwater management to hybrid cars.

Beth Walters, another CLC student, staffed the limnology class booth that had several microorganisms in petri dishes, including day-old tadpoles.

"These (microorganisms) are to show people what's swimming around in our waters," said Walters. "This will hopefully make people more aware of the microorganisms and the importance of their existence."

Gabriella (left), Ruby and mother Susan Amick viewed water organisms such as dragonfly larvae and tadpoles at the limnology class booth Wednesday during the Central Lakes College Earth Day celebration. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.

At the arboretum, there were short educational sessions throughout the afternoon about a variety of topics, including composting, rain gardens and rain barrels, shoreline restoration and bees and the environment. There also was a nature hike for those interested.

Scott Lucas of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and with the North Central Beekeepers Association, said that there are between 20,000 to 40,000 different species of bees and the bee population is decreasing.

"There are beekeepers in our area who are seeing a 20 percent loss and one who saw an 80 percent loss," said Lucas. "Bees are important. We'd lose 33 percent of our food source if we didn't have bees for pollination."

Lucas said the food sources that would be affected include many berries, nuts and honey.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.