Earth Day Blends Latest Sustainable Trends With 40-Year-Old Principles

The university's Smart Car was on display at Earth Day.

Students stopped for food and stayed for environmental knowledge

A student learns how much power it takes to light a fluorescent bulb.

Speakers throughout the day addressed crowds on the Central Quad.

A solar-panel deck supplies energy to a Challenge Truck.

An umbrella provides coolness without using an air conditioner.

The day included a cleanup of trash along Mullins Creek.

Though not a formal part of Earth Day, kites showed another energy source.

Out of line, a student watches her kite reel away.

A silver kite reflects the late afternoon sun.

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A student pedals to find out how much power it takes to light a fluorescent bulb compared to a traditional incandescent bulb.

Students, faculty and staff celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with demonstrations of new power technology, explanations of more sustainable methods of living, and talks by numerous people involved in the green movement.

In 1970, students on the University of Arkansas campus marked the first Earth Day with a "teach-in" on the plaza between Old Main and Vol Walker Hall, before the Fulbright Peace Fountain was built.

Many of the themes remained the same: stop pollution, recycle where possible, remove unnecessary consumption.

Speakers included Nick Brown, John Coleman, Art Hobson, Mattie Bookhout, Greg Sparrow and Robert Pfoundtz.