Earth Day at Sacramento State was a midday affair held in the Library Quad under sunny skies. Among the exhibitors were varied organizations, both political and scientific.

Students Lisa Faulkner and Carlos Rojas staffed the table of the Progressive Students Association at CSUS.

According to Lisa Faulkner progressives are vexed about the economy but other on-going concerns include giving voice to the disenfranchised globally and (in her words) “the earth is one of the disenfranchised” along with the poor and the otherwise voiceless.

Olga Rosander, who is on staff at CSUS, was enthused about the recycling successes at the institution. She said last year the campus had an “87% recycling rate in spite of major construction projects.”

There is a continuing effort to make recycling convenient on campus so that more discarded materials can be diverted from the landfill.

Gina Turbill and Lily Douglas staffed the table of the Field Biology Group at the event. They were accompanied by two local snakes. King and Gopher, their species, not nicknames.

Gina Turbill indicated that the Group is encouraging citizens to cultivate “native plants to help save water because we are in a drought.”

Prominant at the table was a poster display entitled “Endangered Sacramento.”  When asked what was the primary pressure on the endangered local plants and animals Lily Douglas said, “Primarily habitat loss affects that them all.”

She expressed concern about Swainson’s hawk found around here during summer. The bird migrates as far south as Argentina and is often poisoned by its prey (insects) due to pesticide use in other countries.   Ironically some of those pesticides are banned in the USA, but are sold to other countries’ farmers by American firms.

The event was a low-key observance and the exhibitors interviewed above mentioned the interest shown by the passersby, mostly students.