Earth Week at CSU offers an eclectic array of events and activities designed to engage those who bleed environmental green, as well as those who tend to look the other way at the sight of a compost pile.
Some offer opportunities for education and inspiration on ways to bring sustainability into our lives and help us make things a bit greener, while others are simply a celebration of our natural resources and an ode to Mother Earth.
Kicking off the week’s events is the annual CSU Earth Day Festival — a celebration of sustainability on campus and throughout the community, on Tuesday, April 23, held in the Lory Student Center Sculpture Garden from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (The festival has been rescheduled from its original Monday date.)
Coordinated through CSU’s Housing & Dining Services (HDS) sustainability team, it makes sustainability information easily accessible to students, faculty and staff through a combination of activities and events, featuring more than 30 informational booths and displays, activities, live music from the Great Salmon Famine, and more.
CSU Earth Day Festival
Tuesday, April 23
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lory Student Center Sculpture Garden
Raising awareness
HDS Sustainability Coordinator Kirstie Tedrick has helped coordinate the event for the past three years and has watched participation gain momentum. The event has been growing each year with participation from student organizations, departments, local nonprofits, and government organizations.
“This is a great opportunity for CSU to engage our campus community with all the amazing sustainability-related initiatives happening across Fort Collins,” says Tedrick. “They can learn about ways to get involved or just learn about what CSU does to be more sustainable.”
It’s also an opportunity to showcase what is being done on campus and how CSU is progressing with sustainability efforts.
“Participants and visitors really love to learn what CSU is doing to be more sustainable,” she says. “I think it really opens their eyes when we tell them how big our composting operation is, or what it means to be a STARS Platinum institution, or a Bicycle Friendly Platinum University. They also, of course, love to receive free things, such as plants and sustainable goodies.”
Eco Leaders
In addition to coordinating the annual festival, HDS sponsors a booth through the Eco Leader peer education program.
Eco Leaders are students who live on campus in the residence halls and Aggie Village apartments, educating their peers about sustainability issues such as waste reduction and energy conservation.
Leading this year’s booth is Eco Leader Sophie Bell, a freshman living in Newsom Hall. Using experiences gained through campus campaigns such as RecycleMania, the Zero Waste Sorting Game, Waste Audits, and the Green Warrior challenge, Bell developed fun activities to challenge students about their sustainability awareness.
“Earth Day is a great time to pique the interest of those who may not have been too environmentally conscious in the past, as well as grow the passion that some students already may have for the environment,” says Bell. “I hope that participants will be able to walk away from our booth with something new, whether it be a piece of information, a new sustainable behavior, or a new opinion on an environmental issue. I want participants to be able to have fun at the booth, as well as carry the experience into their daily routines.”
