Ashley Kwasniuk was surprised to be handed a brownie Wednesday after locking up her bike at Dow Hall on the campus of Central Michigan University.
“I was just heading to class and this guy said ‘Thanks for riding your bike today,’ and handed me a brownie,” the Brighton junior said.
The guy was Bill Thomas, a member of CMU’s Student Environment Association (SEA).
Thomas, a Farmington Hills senior, said the organization was giving out the treats as a part of “Biker Appreciation Day.”
“We made up the day to say thanks to people who support alternative transportation,” Thomas said. “It’s good to be riding bikes around campus rather than driving a car and wasting natural resources.”
SEA works on a number of different environmental projects each semester, from Chippewa River cleanups to environment awareness.
Audrie Phelen, SEA council co-chair, said the organization hosted Earth Day last year and teamed up with Program Board to bring a screening of “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“Right now we’re helping to promote Power Vote, which is a national movement to get people to the polls and be environmentally conscious when they are voting,” Phelen said.
After the election, SEA will focus its time on organizing Power Shift, a day in February when campus environmental organizations gather in Washington, D.C. to show their support for the environment.
“We do it as a way to let our politicians know that our generation is concerned about the environment and that we want them to support our views,” Phelen said.
She said 6,000 students showed up on Capitol Hill at last year’s Power Shift. At the event students attend workshops and listen to keynote speakers who talk about environmental issues and how to organize a campus movement.
“Everyone was able to break off and meet with their state’s representatives,” Phelen said. “It is really helpful just to let them know what our concerns are and how they can work with us.”
SEA meets at 9 p.m. every Monday in the Bovee University Center.
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