VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Earth Day festival brings Syracuse community together for sustainability
Lauren Kochian: Earth Month is really important to us at the science museum.
Alexandra Petro: The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology- known as MOST- hosts an Earth Day festival. Its goal…
Kochian: …Just exposing as many people as we can to the importance of Earth Month.
Petro: This Earth Day festival here at MOST today aims to promote environmental education for Syracuse locals of all ages.
Olivia Shawley: So, this is the milking simulator here in the New York Animal Ag. Coalition Mobile Dairy Experience.
Petro: Dairy ambassadors showcase sustainable farming practices.
Addison Brown: I’m really excited to interact with kids and make sure they know that their milk comes from a good place and how much farmers do care for the environment and their animals.
Petro: Community members enjoy food, music, free science camp sign-ups, and interactive activities.
Cindy Hadyk: It gets people out to do something positive and learn!
Kochian: I really hope people take that home and think about how all these things are really interconnected.
Petro: Volunteers say the festival highlights community efforts in sustainability.
Brown: The earth is what gives us what we need, right?
Petro: Guests say they enjoy the festival’s activities and community ties.
Hadyk: It quit raining, and I’m gonna have a good day!
Kochian: I’m hoping that everybody takes away something special from today.
Petro: In Syracuse, Alexandra Petro. NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) —The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology hosted its Earth Day Festival on April 19, drawing Syracuse residents to celebrate environmental stewardship and learn about sustainable practices.
The festival, part of MOST’s monthlong Earth Month celebration, aimed to promote environmental education across all ages.
“The purpose of the festival really is to just get people thinking about climate change and environmental science,” said Lauren Kochian, MOST president.
Held on the museum’s front lawn, the free event featured food trucks, music, interactive exhibits and educational booths, fostering community engagement despite stormy weather, according to Kochian. She emphasized the event’s focus on interconnected environmental efforts.
“We have a mobile dairy truck where it’s almost like a little museum on wheels,” she said. “I really hope people take that home and think about how all these things are really interconnected.”
A key attraction was the 53-foot Mobile Dairy Experience, a trailer operated by the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition and the American Dairy Association North East. The exhibit showcased sustainable dairy farming practices, including a milking simulator that mirrored real farm equipment.
“People who come in here can hook up the milker and see how cows get milked,” said Olivia Shawley, the 2025-2026 New York state dairy ambassador.
Sustainability was a central theme, with dairy ambassadors highlighting eco-friendly farming methods.
“Farmers use many practices to be sustainable, because the earth is what gives us what we need, right?” said Addison Brown, another ambassador. “To preserve and keep the earth as what we need it to be is farmers’ top priority.”
The festival also featured booths from community partners, including the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which promoted its free Summer Science Week camp for rising ninth graders. The camp focuses on sustainability and climate change solutions through hands-on fieldwork.
Attendees like Cindy Hadyk praised the event’s community spirit.
“It gets people out to do something positive and learn,” said Hadyk, noting she explored a food and plant growth exhibit inside the museum. “It quit raining, and I’m gonna have a good day!”
The event aligned with Syracuse’s broader sustainability goals outlined in the city’s 2012 Sustainability Plan, which emphasizes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting green infrastructure. New York ranks 11th among U.S. states in sustainability, according to the 2023 SDG Index, driven by initiatives like renewable energy adoption and waste reduction programs.
The festival provided opportunities for attendees to engage with local organizations and learn about sustainable practices.