Folk legend Pete Seeger highlighted community-wide green festival

CORRECTION APPENDED

At the Rockin’ Earth Day Fest organized by the Teachers College Go Green Committee on Saturday, legendary folk musician and activist Pete Seeger added one more item to his impressive resume: “I wish I went to Columbia. Then I could have studied anthropology—all my life I’ve been an amateur anthropologist.”

Organizers claimed they were expecting up to 800 people for the event. And indeed, many were turned away from the chance to see Seeger perform in front of an intimate crowd of 150 in the Teachers College courtyard. Though overzealous security guards and agitated crowds put a slight damper on the excitement, Seeger took it in stride, stepping quietly onto the stage in the knit hat he wore at Barack Obama’s inauguration, and carrying his famous decorated banjo.

As audience members sat wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he implored the crowd to harmonize on the Woody Guthrie classic “This Land is Your Land,” his now warbly voice providing the lyrics.

The performance was part of a larger Earth Day fair, which featured organizations such as the East River Crew, Greenmarket, and the YWCA. The vendors included Honest Tea and Jamba Juice. The East River Crew seemed bent on finding more Columbia students to join their mission, claiming, “We are so close to Columbia!” On the other side of the courtyard were the vendors, some of whom seemed disinterested and confused. The woman manning the CulinArt table said, “I don’t even know what this event is about.”

The festival’s lead organizers, TC students Jaymie Stein and Natalie Hadad, said the event should make people “celebrate the Earth but also think about their impact.” Stein, an art education major, wants people to understand that “everyone’s an artist,” and included several projects made with recycled goods as part of the festival, such as “Funky New Clothes” made from scraps of donated clothes. At the end of Seeger’s performance, Stein presented him with a wood-block print to recognize his contribution.

Seeger, who founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization to clean up the Hudson River, reflected on his experience with environmentalism, invoking economist John Kenneth Galbraith. “Private affluence, public squalor,” Seeger said, explaining the river’s condition in the ’60s. He also spoke critically of public officials who use money as an excuse to destroy gardens and public space.

Utilizing his skill as a storyteller, Seeger included a new song in his performance, “Take It From Dr. King,” which was written in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Its pacifist lyrics, which invoke the Civil Rights movement, tread on old Seeger turf, but bring him back to his roots—children’s music. He also played a charming rendition of “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” for a young fan shortly before leaving the stage.

“I am more optimistic than I have ever been in my life,” Seeger said with a smile. And on that sunny afternoon, basking in the eternal wisdom of a living saint, so were we.

CORRECTION: The original article stated that Honest Tea was a vendor at the event and quoted a woman at the Honest Tea table. However, Honest Tea was not a vendor, though CulinART sold Honest Tea products. The statement formerly attributed to woman at the Honest Tea table should be attributed to the woman at the CulinArt table. Spectator regrets the error.