Happy Spring, Live Green! Community!
Heidi and Paige here to not only remark on the BEAUTIFUL weather we’re having this week, but also to recap the fun and empowering Earth Day event we had on campus last week.
The event was held last Thursday, April 19th, from 11am-2pm in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Heidi and I and The Green Umbrella executive team have been planning Earth Day 2018 since Sustainapalooza wrapped up in February, in order to make it an event you wouldn’t forget.
The Green Umbrella executive team chose the theme “Love Your Mother” for this year’s event in order to hone in on environmental sustainability and how we can give back to “Mother Earth.” We expanded on this theme in fun ways like “Notes From Your Mother” that were displayed around the event, which you can see below.
We had a last minute relocation indoors due to snowy weather and muddy ground, but we still had around 350 attendees and more than 100 people who made Earth Day pledges!
There were 25 campus and community organizations hosting tables at the event and sharing their organization’s commitment to sustainability with hands-on activities, handing out coupons and educational materials, and getting people signed up to join their organization!
We’re so grateful for each of the 25 organizations who hosted interactive and engaging table displays at the event. Organizations included:
- Oxfam-ISU
- Climate Reality Campus Corps: ISU
- Iowa State Environmental Science Club
- Iowa State Dance Marathon
- GreenHouse Group
- Workspace
- Students Helping Our Peers (The SHOP Food Pantry)
- Bikes At Work
- Random Goods
- ISU Dining
- Student Government
- JAX Outdoor Gear
- Engineers for a Sustainable World Compost Group
- Smart Business Challenge
- Conservation Club
- Iowa State SAE
- Office of Sustainability’s 10 Year Campaign
- Environmental Education Club
- The Loft
- Wheatsfield
- Ames Bicycle Coalition
- Good Earth Student Farm
- Wind Energy Student Organization (WESO)
- Community & Regional Planning Club
- Cellular Agriculture Society
One of the engaging pieces of the event was our prize card, which encouraged attendees to interact with tabling organizations and get a space on their prize card marked off. Attendees could earn prizes for every 5 spaces they had marked off and be entered to win one of our door prizes once they talked to 20 different organizations and took one of our Earth Day pledges!
Along with cookies from Insomnia Cookies and fruit-infused water from ISU Dining, prize card prizes included:
- Live Green! Buttons
- “Love Your Mother” stickers
- Stainless steel straws and cleaning brushes
- Reusable hand towel
- Water bottle with fruit-infuser
- Travel mug
Door prizes included:
- Two $50 gift cards to Wild Root Salon
- Two $10 gift cards to Wheatsfield Cooperative
- Four $10 gift cards to Morning Bell Coffee Roasters
We hope that all event attendees enjoyed their experience, and would love to hear from you in the comments sections about what you learned from/enjoyed about the event!
Thank you to everyone who was a part of our Live Green! Community this academic year, and don’t forget—there are still two days to celebrate Earth Month 2018, and unlimited days to celebrate Earth Day, Every Day!
Live Green! 