UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Members from the Community, Environment and Development Club (Penn States) participated in an Earth Day celebration across the country. College of Agricultural SciencesA Guinness World Record was broken by this team.
The CED Club is located under the colleges Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology.Producers at NBCs Today Show contacted a woman named Alicia and asked her to participate in Earth Day. The show broke the record for most people simultaneously watering plants in multiple locations.
On April 22, fifty Penn State students and employees gathered in one of the greenhouses run by the Office of Physical Plant to take part. The record was broken by 799 participants from 12 U.S. schools or organizations.
Amelia Wyckoff (club president), a freshman double-majoring in Environment, community and developmentThe event’s main organizer was geography.
Wyckoff, State College, stated that participating in the Guinness World Record Breaking was a fun way of kicking off Earth Day.
Erin Farley, executive producer at Today, asked the club for participation in the event.
Wyckoff stated that Wyckoff found us online and saw our social media. She thought we would be a great fit for the show’s goals.
Wyckoff said that the club was able organize the event in just over a week. To find the best place to shoot video on campus, the club turned to Brian Phiel, supervisor of grounds maintenance for ornamental horticulture/arboriculture in the Office of Physical Plant.
He said that Amelia did most the hard work. We provided watering cans and the rest was up the students. It was great to see them in the greenhouse. While we do many things with students and have broken many world records, we have never set one.
Phiel pointed out that the greenhouse at Tower Road was the best place for the event due to its accessibility, Wi-Fi service, parking, and accessibility.
Timothy Kelsey was Wykoffs’ adviser and said that it was amazing how quickly the planning came together.
It reflects the club’s excellent organizational skills, said Kelsey. Kelsey was also associate department chief and professor of agricultural economists. It was a lighthearted way that club members could start their Earth Day activities. And this was just one of the many things they did.
Club members came from many backgrounds and shared a meal together before the event. Wyckoff stated that club members spent the rest the day volunteering and raising awareness on climate change, social justice, and food safety.
She also said that we participated in other Earth Day activities like the PSU EcoReps Carnival and Lights Out PSU. We think Penn State students are very committed to Earth Day in many different ways. We hope the Today shows Earth Day coverage has highlighted the many ways young people use science and communication to advocate for ecofriendly legislation.
After a long period of inactivity the CED Club was reopened to all majors. Wyckoff pointed out that the club’s membership was steadily growing even before the Today event.
She stated that community, environment and developmental is not only a club or major, but also a practice that can be applied to many areas of study. It is huge that we have gone so far from being a small club struggling for more than a handful members to end the year on such an excellent note.
