Texas Club To Hold
Fundraising Concert To
Benefit Costa Rican Bird
Anna Hodges,
Dailyskiff.com
Some may want to call
them "tree-huggers," but
perhaps "tree-savers" is
more appropriate.
Adduco Viridis: Texas
Christian University,
(TCU) Environmental Club
will kick off Earth Week
with a concert on the
Sadler Lawn from 3 to
6:30 p.m. to raise money
to preserve a Costa
Rican tree that could
save an endangered bird
species.
"We're hoping that this
event will really make
what we're doing
visible," said AV Club
secretary Gretchen
Wilbrandt.
Money raised from raffle
ticket sales at AV
Club's Concert for the
Macaws will be used to
buy Almendro trees in
Costa Rica, trees
Wilbrandt said the Great
Green Macaw inhabits for
nesting and feeding.
AV members said they
hope to raise enough
money to pay landowners
to prevent the trees'
destruction.
Each summer, Michael
Slattery, director of
the Institute for
Environmental Studies,
takes a group of
students to Costa Rica
where he teaches a two
and a half week long
course on environmental
issues. Wilbrandt said
the summer course is
open to all majors.
Ellen Schwaller, a
senior environmental
science major, said
Slattery's annual visits
to Costa Rica are what
prompted the
Environmental Club's
interest in the project.
Schwaller, who went on
the trip in May 2005,
calls the trip a
"defining moment" in her
time spent at TCU.
"Not only did I have the
chance to learn in the
middle of the
rainforest, where
biodiversity is such a
big factor, the trip
really helped me to get
involved and connect
with other people with
the same interests as
me," she said.
Schwaller said she is
happy with the positive
response the club has
received from the Fort
Worth community.
Wilbrandt said a wide
variety of raffle prizes
were donated by
businesses throughout
the area. She said these
prizes correspond with
the group's ideals as
stewards of the
environment.
"We have organic
chocolate, gift
certificates to places
like the Spiral Diner
and more. These
'environmentally
friendly' prizes really
showcase what the
community has to offer,"
Wilbrandt said.
Musical performers
include Tim Halperin,
Josh Coad and Johnnie
Cochran, she said.
AV Club President
Kimberly Banzhaf said
the Environmental Club
raised $1,000 and saved
two trees when the first
Concert for the Macaws
was held two years ago.
However, she said
because the concert was
at 8.0 Restaurant and
Bar downtown, many
students were unable to
participate. Banzhaf
said the group hopes to
raise even more this
year.
"This year, we planned
to make Earth Week
activities like this
more catered toward the
students," Banzhaf said. |
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