Earth day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate than learning about how scientists and researchers are working to create a more sustainable planet. And how you can too.
The Mayborn Museum is hosting an educational and family friendly Earth Day event next Monday from 10:30 to 5 p.m. Attendees can expect sustainability activities like creating water filtration systems out of recycled bottles.
April Love: “I know that the museum engagement team's water filtration activity has takeaways that people can go and they can learn about. You know, how do we clean our water? And what can I do at home?”
April Love, broader impacts and volunteer engagement manager at the Mayborn Museum, says that Baylor scientists and researchers will also be in attendance, sharing their latest research on environmental sciences and touching on topics that are impacting our planet now, like climate change.
April Love: “This is about sparking curiosity and what our member research partners, all of our major research partners hope to do is inspire people to go and do their own experiments and get interested in environmental science and learn all that they can about what they can do in their homes. And I know that our Mayborn research partners have those activities planned for the public that day. So they'll have that. They'll be able to take away something that they can come home with.
Molly Noah, the marketing coordinator at the Mayborn Museum, adds that it is also a chance to encourage action.
Molly Noah: “We really want to build this community of people who are interested in STEM and science. And, you know, I think having conversations around, you know, climate change and sustainability can be really scary. But as a place that is really safe for children and families to learn and play together, I think we really take that charge very seriously. And we really want to be a place where families can understand that this fight for our planet is essential, but also can be exciting and fun. I think that Earth Day is such a great opportunity for, you know, advocacy and like activation around sustainability. And I think it's a great way to really highlight the people in your community who already are doing this work and how, you know, everyone in the community can join them.”
Kaleigh Reed, the volunteer engagement coordinator at the Mayborn Museum, says Earth day is a great opportunity to encourage the Waco community to appreciate our home planet.
Kaleigh Reed: “We can't take this for granted. I mean, it's our responsibility to kind of shepherd the earth in a better direction, not just for us, but like for future generations and, you know, preserve the beauty that it is.”
Tickets to the event and more information about the Mayborn Museum can be found online at mayborn.web.baylor.edu. Entry will be free to members of the museum and college students.