Like an ironic joke from Mother Nature herself, HEAT\u2019s climate change awareness event was accompanied by unusually mild weather for the dead of winter.
\nHeld on Feb. 23, the Hood Environmental Action Team\u2019s Climate Change Caf\u00e9 sought to encourage discussions about the environment in a casual atmosphere. The club offered refreshments, games, and opportunities for conversation from 12-2 p.m. in Whitaker 220.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s about bringing awareness about climate change,\u201d Callie Fishburn, a junior at Hood and HEAT\u2019s president, said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to educate people about the issues.\u201d
\nThe club offered coffee, tea, muffins, hummus, fruit, and other refreshments for attendees. Questions about climate change were left on tables for students to discuss, and a game for measuring one\u2019s economic footprint was displayed.
\nMost attendees had a name tag with an environmental science term placed on their backs as a guessing game.
\nYoussef Madkour, HEAT\u2019s vice-president, described the caf\u00e9 as \u201cclimate change awareness without being in your face.\u201d He said that he hoped it would make students more proactive about the environment instead of nihilistic about its potential fate.
\nTying into the event\u2019s environmentally-conscious focus, the club invited Key City Compost, a Frederick-based composting service, to assist with the cleanup. Any trash noted as compostable was deposited into Key City\u2019s bins for them to dispose of.
\nDr. April Boulton, HEAT\u2019s advisor and an associate professor of biology, said that she was optimistic about the positive impact the caf\u00e9 could have.
\n\u201cI hope it makes them change some of their habits that are unhealthy for the planet,\u201d she said about the caf\u00e9\u2019s visitors. \u201cThat\u2019s always a goal for an event like this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"