Orange Coast goes green for a day

Orange Coast College will host Green Coast Day on April 19 as a commemoration of Earth Month 2023. This will be the first time the annual celebration will be held in person with on-campus events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

OCC has held Green Coast Day – whether online or on-campus – for 16 years and has pushed for an environmentally conscious student body. 

Being an educational event where students are encouraged to learn about environmental awareness, Chapman University Professor Brian Alters will hold a lecture in the Science Hall from 11:10 to 12:30 p.m. Informative lectures are held each Green Coast Day alongside the presentation of the Garrison Honors Scholars. 

The OCC Planetarium, while acting as a sponsor of Green Coast Day, will house two screenings on Wednesday showing a “stunning visualization” of Earth’s natural splendor. “Dynamic Earth” will be shown first at 11 a.m. bringing the Orange Coast community into the oceans and through great storms as they learn more about the interconnectivity of Earth’s climate. “Habitat Earth” will be screened at 2:30 p.m. and will build on the previous showing while deepening the audience's understanding of how ecosystems thrive and the dangerous potential of human interference. 

There will also be a poster showcase at the Planetarium from 8:45-11 a.m that will feature discussions from OCC students before the screenings. 

Green Coast Day Coordinator John Fawcett has been involved with the event since its first year and has seen the day highlight different areas each time.

“We have done everything from electric cars to drought-tolerant plants, alternate energy to water management and conservation,” Fawcett said. “This year we are focusing on sustainable fibers and clothing.”

OCC Fashion students are celebrating sustainability in their clothing through a fashion show including “environmentally friendly” styles presented on the lawn in front of the OCC library at 1 p.m.. 

This past winter, Southern California was hit with record rainfall that led to flooding around the L.A. metro area and a “historic” blizzard warning that saw large amounts of snowfall in elevated areas. Extreme weather has some climate experts drawing a link to man-made pollution.

“As humans continue burning fossil fuels and heating the atmosphere, the warmer air can hold more moisture,” New York Times reporter Raymond Zhong wrote. “This means storms in many places, California included, are more likely to be extremely wet and intense.”

Follow Coast Report for future coverage on all Green Coast Day and Earth Month events at OCC.