Free Ben and Jerry's ice cream, a lunch served on frisbees and live music from student bands attracted hundreds yesterday afternoon to Earth Day festivities in front of the Science Center.

About 40 activist groups, including Greenpeace, the Union of Concerned Scientists, United Farm Workers and Students Against Animal Abuse, joined in the effort to educate the Harvard community and raise spirit for the environmental cause, said event organizer Naoka E. Carey '95.

The Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) and the Environmental Law Society co-sponsored the event. Bonnie J. Becker '95, coordinator for EAC, said she considered Earth Day a success, although she blamed the rain for the fact that participation declined after about 2 p.m.

"When it started raining it fell apart a bit," Becker said. "But even with the rain people who wanted to stay did. It almost answered our expectation."

The events included an Earth Day Forum in Sanders Theatre. The panel of speakers featured musicians Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil and Phillip Fish ofFishbone as well as Native American activistWinona LaDuke and student activist Wendy Tonker.

Second year Law School student John D. Walke,who moderated the panel, said he asked thespeakers to "concentrate on personal experienceand issues that were most important tothem...[and] asked them to suggest concreteaction."

Students attending the forum said thatmusician-lawyer Peter Garret and Tonker made thebiggest impression on them.

"Garrett was extremely articulate," said J.C.Hertz '93. "He spoke about ecologicallysustainable development and stressed thatenvironmental safety should be regarded as a rightand not a privilege."

During the forum, activist LeDuke denounced theJames Bay hydro-electric plant and Milleremphasized voting and letter-writing as politicaltools to make politicians aware of theenvironment.

"The forum was great because it shows thatpeople who are in the public eye are concernedabout environmental issues," said Brett R. Huff'93, who helped Becker with the organization ofEarth Day.

According to Huff, the Ecolympic results--whichwere not announced at the event--listed North,Dunster, and Quincy as the top three finishers inthe year long competition to reduce heat, water,and electricity consumption