AU students were able to educate the public about the environment Sunday at the Green Apple Festival, before organizers ended the event early.
The Earth Day Network organized the festival in honor of Earth Day, which occurred Tuesday. The festival occurred at venues in D.C. and seven other major U.S. cities. The events were to combine music, speakers and green technology exhibits to help promote environmental awareness among the public.
Drew Veysey, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the environmental science officer for Eco-Sense, said he had been looking forward to contributing to the festival. Eco-Sense and the DC Youth Environmental Alliance were working to help promote environmental preservation at the Green Apple Festival. Veysey arrived too late to contribute, but other members of Eco-Sense taught children and parents at the festival about environmental protection.
Members of Eco-Sense also countered propaganda that representatives of the coal industry were spreading to advocate "clean coal". While clean coal has been generating a great deal of publicity lately, in reality, these new coal plants will be more costly and will increase toxic mercury emissions, said Claire Roby, a senior in CAS and the former president of Eco-Sense.
Veysey said that though the Green Apple Festival ended early, he still made the most of his day.
"Because it was cancelled, and the rain was the hard-driving kind, my friends and I went to the natural history museum, as did other concert goers," he said.
Glynnis Purcell, a freshman in CAS, said she enjoyed herself despite the event's early end.
"It was awesome!" she said. "O.A.R. was so sick!"
The D.C. performances were supposed to include The Roots, O.A.R., Thievery Cooperation, and the DC Boys Choir. A number of actors, activists and politicians were also set to speak at the D.C. venue. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, actor Edward Norton and NASA climatologist Dr. James Hansen were some of the guests set to speak, according to the Green Apple Festival's Web site.
The free event in D.C. was scheduled to last from noon until 7 p.m., but organizers had to shut it down due to inclement weather around 2:30 p.m.
Purcell said she saw as much of the festival as she could before it stopped. It had been raining all day, but the rain picked up during Umphrey's McGee's set. At that point, the coordinators stopped the music and told everyone to find shelter. An electrical storm had begun, which posed a safety hazard around the metal stage. People began screaming and running, Purcell said.
"I was just completely and utterly drenched out of my mind," she said.
