Celebrate Earth Day with the JCC
by Heather Chastain
Environmental education is the focus of the inaugural Earth Day Celebration at the JCC. Organizers planned activities to help people understand ways they can protect and preserve the environment.
"We are all learning that our individual and collective actions impact the environment," said Bruce Sklare, the JCC volunteer behind the vision for the event. "Our hope is to inspire people to protect and improve the environment, and to understand that by doing so they will improve the quality of their lives."
The JCC's Earth Day Celebration will cover almost every corner of the 40-acre, partially wooded campus with educational activities for all ages. In the front lot, Wings for West Africa will collect computers and electronics from 9 a.m. until noon. In the northeast corner of the property, at the Holocaust Memorial, visitors will find a Tai Chi demonstration and can then participate in an instructional session.
Behind the JCC in the east lot, five food trucks will open for lunch business; Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and a host of volunteers will plant trees beginning at 10 a.m., and partners from all over the state will have demonstrations and activities to encourage visitors to develop a responsible and respectful relationship with our environment.
Some of the activities include: building your own mini solar-powered car with the Purdue University Solar Racing Team, take a walking tour of the JCC woods with the Ivy Tech biology department faculty, or go on a woodsy scavenger hunt led by Indy Parks in the JCC's woods or make your own bird feeder from recycled materials with the Audubon Society.
Kids can enjoy games, a bounce house, face painting, and making art projects from recycled materials. "You can't really appreciate what's out there until you experience it," said Mindi Epstein, Director of Marketing and Membership.
Earth Day participants are encouraged to ride their bikes to the JCC, where they can park for free in a safe corral operated by Pedal & Park.
Purdue Students build award-winning solar race car
Purdue University students are as committed to meeting engineering challenges as they are to changing the way people think about renewable energy. They will be on site at the JCC Earth Day Celebration to show you how you can build your own mini solar-powered car.
You can also check out the students award-winning solar race car, Celeritas. Celeritas just took first place in the Urban Concept Solar Division at the 2012 Shell Eco-marathon. The students enhanced the software in the car causing it to outperform its previous mark. This year Celeritas achieved efficiency equivalent to 2,325 miles per gallon. Last year, they won the category with an output of to 2,175 miles per gallon.
Celeritas is Purdue Solar Racing's eighth vehicle and the first Urban Concept Vehicle Purdue Solar Racing has designed and built. Urban concept cars are required to look more like normal cars, including doors, and upright seating. Celeritas' design represents another quantum leap for Purdue Solar Racing, with revolutionary designs and cutting-edge technology integrated into the vehicle.
"Through teamwork and innovation each team member will gain knowledge in every aspect of the vehicle while helping the world take a step in the right direction for meeting our future energy needs," said Zach Lapetina, President of Purdue Solar Racing. "We use solar vehicles as a symbol of what can happen if alternative energies are used. We hope to teach people that there are practical and successful attempts of harnessing alternative energies to make our society cleaner."
The university's solar racing history dates back to 1991, but the team already is looking ahead to next year's competition and its ninth design.
Related Locations
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Arthur M. Glick JCC
- 6701 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis North (general) Indiana
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317-251-9467
- www.jccindy.org
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