Earth Day brought in a star-studded fashion this year on the campus of North Carolina A&T. 

Green and Live was the name of the event that joined together influential figures from hip-hop, entertainment and the community to discuss the green initiative for the support and well being of our planet.

The 40th anniversary celebratory affair, which took place in McNair Auditorium, began at around 6 p.m. 

Although the room was not filled to capacity, it had no hindrance on the message being delivered.  English and Hip-Hop instructor, Bryon Turman took to the podium saying, “out of a few really comes big things.” 

He also spoke briefly on the night’s topic before introducing the evening’s panelist.

Before the issue was brought to the forefront verbally, a video clip displaying the progress of the Green and Live movement was played. 

The audience got to see how schools like Dillard and the University of Missouri were treated to the powerful messages of the Hip Hop Caucus with recording artist such as Chrisette Michele, Drake, and Trey Songz making appearances and supporting the cause before reaching Aggie land.

After the introductory video, those in attendance heard from the panel on the issue of going green and saving the environment.  Wesley Morris, a Raleigh native and A&T alumni spoke of his work with the Beloved Community Center in the community gardens as well as with other eco-friendly initiatives.

D. Woods, a member of the now defunct R&B/pop quintet Danity Kane and star of MTV’s “Making the Band 3” was also in attendance. 

She spoke honestly confessing, “[I can] lend my celebrity to draw people in.”  She also coined the term “edutainer” that would be used for the rest of the program to describe entertainers who also educate the masses they appeal to. 

The singer and songwriter also suggested people from different majors combine forces and resources to make programs such as recycling bigger and more popular on campus.

Another panelist was Gloria Reuben.  The Canadian actress who is known for her work on NBC’s “E.R.” and TNT’s “Raising the Bar” posed the question, “How do we live lives in a greener way?” 

She also suggested varying ways to save energy like the use of a power strip and unplugging power chords when you leave the room.

Reverend Lennox Yearwood, the leader of the Hip Hop Caucus, spoke next from the panel. 

The Howard graduate spoke frankly on the strong possibility of running out of natural resources such as coal, oil, and gas in the next 40 years. 

He encouraged Aggies to join the movement to make change saying, “I need soldiers.”  The war metaphor was extended when he admitted, “If we lose this battle right now, our babies die.”

Annette Sparks, a junior biological engineering major, inspired the audience and speakers with her thoughts during the question and answer period. 

After the event she expressed her enjoyment of the affair, yet felt it lacked a certain hype around it. 

She said, “It was a great event, but a lot of people missed out.”

Sophomore nursing major, Deirdre Pugh also shared in Sparks’ opinion.  When it came to the use of entertainment figures to get the word out she also added her point mentioning,

“A celebrity shouldn’t be the determining factor in gaining knowledge.”

Those looking for more information on joining the cause are suggested to visit www.repoweramerica.org and www.hiphopcaucus.org.

• Charles Johnson