UT student organizations held the annual on-campus Earth Day 2023 celebration “Earth Fest” on April 19th and 20th. Hosted by BOSEF (Building Ohio’s Sustainable Energy Future) every year “to promote sustainability on campus and environmental education,” the event included food, crafts, plant sales, and more. BOSEF kicked it off by hosting a drop-in DIY Tote Bag event at the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women from 3:00pm-6:00pm on Wednesday, April 19th, where students could sew their own bag–with pockets!
The main events took place at Centennial Mall on Thursday, April 20th from 9:00am to 3:00pm. The SGF (Student Green Fund) approved funds for the Leaf and Seed, a Toledo-based vegan cafe, to have a food truck on the mall for the second time, where they served samples of their main menu dishes. According to the President of SGF, Olivia Onago, their goal with having the Leaf and Seed at Earth Fest is to “promote sustainable eating by providing vegan samples free-of-charge, introducing students to foods they may have never tried before, while helping to protect the planet.”
EGS (Environmental Graduate Students) collaboratively organized a plant sale with the UT Garden, where they sold the garden’s variety of plants, as well as a spread of succulents planted in coffee mugs. Images courtesy of Garrett Moots, a member of EGS.
Even Parks Tower got involved in an Earth Fest event. From 6:00pm-7:30pm on the 20th, students painted terra cotta pots and planted seeds in them to watch their plant grow. The event also provided tips on what properties plants might have or how they can boost your mental health, perfect for the final few weeks of the semester.
Though not explicitly a part of the Earth Day celebration, UT Recreational Services and Juice House hosted a “Yoga Under the Stars” event at the Flatlands at 7:30pm on the 20th. They even offered the first 25 participants a free yoga mat for their relaxing conclusion to the event.
The Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women set up a follow-up event to use the leftover fabric scraps from DIY tote bags to make toys with Rocket Service Dogs. The toys made at the event on Monday, April 24th from 7:00pm-8:00pm will be donated to the Ability Center of Greater Toledo and Lucas County Canine Care and Control.
All of UT’s sustainability groups rely on volunteers to help with various projects on campus. You can help these student organizations keep our campus green in any way that suits you best: promoting recycling at sports or electronic waste events, tending to garden beds, completing internships, or even participating in student government. If you’re interested in what they do outside of Earth Fest, you can find out more at www.utoledo.edu/sustainability/involvement.html