David Marshall ’19 demonstrates how to propagate leaves in water during Earthfest. "Once the roots start growing,” he says, "you can either transfer the plant into soil, or keep watching the roots grow in the water."
Students, faculty, and staff marked the 20th anniversary of EarthFest—and the third at the University—with a series of events last week.
Grassroots, a River Campus environmental activist group, organized and spearheaded the events, designed to celebrate the beauty of nature and to promote a sustainable future.
EarthFest, established in 1997, grew out of Earth Day, which began in 1970.
“EarthFest brings a lot of publicity to the cause of environmentalism,” says EarthFest chair Julianne Kapner ’19. “This year we brought more environmental groups on campus and added a clothing exchange.”
Here are some snapshots from this year’s celebration.
Students from four campus environmental groups—Grassroots, Greenspace, Dining Team, and SAVVY—table EarthFest events in Hirst Lounge.Students tie-dyed T-shirts outside Wilson Commons.Ananya Goyal ’20, the 2016-17 EcoRep, checks out the clothing exchange.Can Wang ’20 prepares a facial mask for herself using oatmeal, cucumber, avocado, and honey.A display in Wilson Commons showcases Earth Day T-shirts from previous years.Madison Carter ’17 helps sort through clothes for the clothing exchange. Grassroots received 883 clothing items during the spring semester.Sarah Hackley ’19, president of SAVVY, and Bob Bryant offer information about the effects of vegan and vegetarian diets on people and the environment.To save energy in campus residence halls, Grassroots members, including Michaela Burrell ’20 (right), urge fellow students to “Do it in the dark. UR unplugged.”
