April 21, 1998

Leslie Hitchcock, News Editor

Actively working to better their global community are several Appalachian State University organizations taking part in Earth Week.

Sponsored by Students Actively Volunteering for the Environment (SAVE) and the ASU Solar Energy Society (ASUSES), Earth Week is designed to make students more aware of their environmental surroundings.

The ASU Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Club is represented outside the Plemmons Student Union.

“We are trying to promote that hemp is one of the best alternative fibers and therefore should not be banned,” said HEMP Club member Neil Matthies. 

According to Matthies, the HEMP Club is offering various ways to become involved in Earth Week.

Students can sign a petition for the National Cannabis Society to request the end of marijuana prohibition, Matthies said.

Several contests are provided by the HEMP Club this week, said Matthies.

Students can enter a raffle for a $25 gift certificate to Grapevine Music or they can try to guess how many hemp seeds are in a jar, he said.

“The winner will win the hemp seeds and a cookbook to tell what to do with (the seeds),” Matthies said.

ASUSES will sponsor a solar oven cook-off for students and members of the community.

Participants in the cook-off can make anything from eggs, rice, potatoes, soups, meats and breads.

“Once heated, box ovens can cook foods such as pizza and cut-and-bake cookies in about the same time as a conventional oven,” said ASUSES treasurer Scott Suddreth.

“That is because on sunny days, the traditional box-cookers can heat to between 200 and 300 degrees in approximately 25 minutes,” Suddreth said.

According to Suddreth, for less than $15, one can build a box-oven with household idems such as a lidded cardboard box, aluminum foil, string, a small wooden stake and a sheet of glass.

Additional activities taking place during Earth Week are live acoustic music, speak outs, an earth art show and information booths.

Leaflets on global warming and other important environmental issues will be passed out.

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