Anyone living under a rock in the past two weeks may not have noticed that environmentally friendly and energy conservation groups have been sweeping the campus.

All over campus, fliers, posters and booths with active members have been educating students and faculty about energy use and waste and how Penn State can be made much more energy efficient. Even bulletins in several dorm halls and buildings have been put up that outline the goals of such groups and what students can do to save energy.

Mary Peterson (senior-public relations), who serves as Eco-Action's publicist, said despite having to move indoors, students involved with the Kyoto Now! project collected nearly 500 signatures in the HUB-Robeson Center on April 1 and had the petition available last Tuesday in front of Pattee Library.

"We were not discouraged by the rain," Peterson said. "We were able to educate students and get petitions and letters signed while they were walking through. It created an awesome buzz -- we got probably 400 signatures that day and nearly 500 letters signed as well."

The event's theme carried over into the weekend when students from Eco-Action, and Kyoto Now! attended the Clean Energy Expo at the Bryce Jordan Center.

"We spent both Friday and Saturday at the Clean Energy Expo, encouraging community members to sign a personalized letter to [Penn State President] Graham Spanier," Peterson said.

Last Tuesday, the weather permitted Eco-Action and Kyoto Now! to set up its displays along the campus mall as originally planned. Peterson and everyone else involved in the Day of Action started at 6:30 a.m., chalking classroom boards with the announcement of the rally and setting up tables with information.

"We also put up balloons with facts about global warming that lined the walkways up to Pattee Library and, of course, the attention grabber -- a giant windmill," Peterson said.

All day, participants rushed passers-by, students, faculty and staff alike, asking them to help fight for Penn State to be more responsible with energy efficiency, Peterson said. "We had an awesome response, and by the end of the day, we had people telling us that their friends had sent them there," she said.

Maria Migone (freshman-finance and international business), a member of Eco-Action, worked for five hours on the campus mall urging students to find out more about the Kyoto Now! initiative and Eco-Action's goals for the university. She got involved in the club through her service and rhetoric English class, which requires students to participate in at least one service activity and group.

Migone enjoyed working during the Day of Action and was enthusiastic about telling others about their purpose.

Jessica Mitchell (freshman-science and integrative arts), who also stood outside for about five hours, got students to sign the petition and learn more about the cause.

Always an advocate of conserving energy, choosing to work on the Day of Action was an easy choice for Mitchell.

"I've always tried to conserve energy as best I could. Their standard is basically my own," Mitchell said. "There were several groups we could join, but I decided that I was most interested in the Eco-Action group ... and since Eco-Action works with Kyoto Now! I decided to help for the Day of Action," Mitchell said. "It seemed like a good cause."

Mitchell helped to design and build the windmill that was on display in front of the library. The windmill was representative of the windmill energy that Kyoto Now! supports and encourages Penn State to use more. "I also ran around campus, chalked classrooms, got people to sign petitions and helped out anywhere else I could," Mitchell said.

During the Day of Action, John Yerger (junior-wildlife and fisheries science) helped work the information table, disseminating facts about climate change and helping to explain to students the goals of the Kyoto Now! campaign.

"Over the past several years, I have really come to realize how truly integrated all of our daily actions are with the world around us," Yerger said. "So many people make a separation between themselves and what they consider to be 'the environment.' I feel strongly that what people need to realize is that you cannot ever separate yourself from your environment in such a manner -- the water you drink, and the food you eat and the energy you use all come from somewhere," he said.

"There is no way to disconnect yourself from that. So, in my daily life, I always try to be conscious of how each of my actions will have an impact on my ecological footprint -- from my electricity usage, to the amount of water I use, to the amount of packaging that comes with products I buy. I have been learning a lot about how humans are directly impacting something so vital to life as our climate, and I believe it is especially imperative that we begin to recognize the need to reduce our energy requirements in any way we can."

At 5:30 p.m., the petition was rolled out on a giant scroll of paper that extended for more than 20 feet on the steps of Old Main. Ford Stryker, OPP director of special projects, students of Kyoto Now! and members of the Green Destiny Council, along with other student and faculty supporters, were there to witness the event .

"At the rally, nearly 100 students showed their support for the effort and all of the hard work the students had put into the project thus far," Peterson said. "Ford Stryker and the OPP spokesperson, Paul Ruskin, were on the scene to tell students the administration's side of the story."

The signatures totaled 617, and between 600 and 700 more letters were hand-delivered to Spanier by the end of the day.

"The recent events have put energy conservation on the map, and members of both Eco-Action and the Kyoto Now! initiative are proud of the breakthrough they've made," Peterson said. "But it isn't enough. With the size and impact that the university has on the local economy, along with the visibility it has on a nationwide scale, students are asking that they use this opportunity to label Penn State as the leader in environmental responsibility," she said. "Thanks to the recent events and student support, Ford Stryker's response was positive, and it seems as though they seem to be taking this issue more seriously now that they know students care," she said.

Now, Kyoto Now! plans to make an appearance at the Environmental Colloquium on April 21, Peterson said. "We hope to keep talking with the administration on the key points of the plan so that we can work out an agreement that satisfies all parties," she said. "Even if nothing is resolved by the end of this semester, students will be around during the summer and will start in full swing next fall."