Charlotte Cox soaked up the good weather Sunday on the grounds of the Old State Capitol with her friends and her dog at Louisiana Earth Day. “There’s great music, great weather, great people and great beer,” Cox said. Downtown Baton Rouge was flooded with people of all ages looking for a good time while promoting a good cause. The festival featured local musicians performing on four stages, earth-friendly exhibits, food and green vendors. Margaret Mercier, board president for Louisiana Earth Day, said the event brought together environmental groups, the business community and residents to celebrate the Earth. She said this past year, 65,000 people attended the event, and they have previously had up to 90,000 attendees. “In the beginning, we were not prepared for the huge response we received,” Mercier said. Mercier said she hopes people took advantage of what the event had to offer and see all the things people are doing for Louisiana and the city of Baton Rouge. “If each person takes away one idea of how to make the world better, or if only half were inspired to volunteer and join causes, or take up earth-friendly habits, the event would be a success,” Mercier said. Myles Thibodeaux, horticulture junior, said he took advantage of the festival’s offerings by signing up for a recycling can. “I always come downtown on weekends. I’m just here hanging out,” Thibodeaux said. But Thibodeaux said he hoped this event would promote positive growth in Baton Rouge because of the large response. Nick Bourgeois, anthropology junior, said he came because he heard it was fun. “It’s such a great day to be outside,” Bourgeois said. He said he had enjoyed walking around, listening to music and watching people make arrowheads at one of the booths. “This is a great idea,” Bourgeois said. “It spreads an ecologically friendly message, and it gives me hope that there are people out there who care.”
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