Rolla Earth Day 2006, which will be hosted by the University of Missouri-Rolla, is Thursday, April 20. The theme for this year’s event is “Plant a Seed and Watch it Grow.”

Rolla Earth Day 2006 activities will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Havener Center on campus, rain or shine. Most of the exhibits will be focused on raising environmental awareness. A poetry contest, a poster contest, a fashion show, live music, children’s activities, tours of a UMR solar house and drawings for door prizes, including gift certificates, are scheduled. Free food will be provided and the UMR Bookstore will give away free saplings.

The poetry contest is open to anyone in the Rolla area. Prizes will be awarded in four age divisions. Poems inspired by Earth Day should be submitted to Lorraine Woolsey (lorrain@mst.edu) in the UMR Writing Center by Thursday, April 6.

Rolla Earth Day 2006 T-shirts are available for $10-12, depending on size, at the UMR Bookstore, or by contacting Melissa Folsom at 341-4954 or mfolsom@mst.edu. The T-shirts are made from 50 percent recycled plastic and 50 percent recycled cotton. Those who purchase an Earth Day shirt will automatically be entered in drawings for prizes. Winners are not required to be present. 

Rolla Earth Day 2006 is sponsored by several area organizations. The general public is invited to attend this community event. For more information, contact UMR’s Amy Gillman at (573) 341-7600 or gillman@mst.edu, or Julie Wilson of Brewer Science at (573) 364-0444 or julie.wilson@brewerscience.com.