From sustainably-made french fries to upcycled fabric buttons, students had the opportunity to discover sustainable products and initiatives at EarthFest on the Quad last Friday.
Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated annually on campus. One of the most widely-attended campus events that is held in honor of the holiday is EarthFest, an annual outdoor festival sponsored by the Office of Sustainability and LaFarm.
“EarthFest was developed in a way to recognize the different clubs and organizations and local businesses who are working towards a more sustainable future,” said Samantha Smith, the sustainability outreach and engagement manager for the Office of Sustainability.
“We invite anyone to table at EarthFest every year,” Smith continued. “It doesn’t just need to be our environmental clubs, although we love them as well. We want to bring in the whole community because everyone’s related in some way and they can find a way to show their relation and also just kind of integrate sustainability into their practices no matter what their practices are.”
There were 30 organizations and clubs represented at EarthFest this year. Students could sample “earth-friendly” food options from local vendors, paint a birdhouse at the Lafayette Association of Visual Artists table, shop at the campus thrift store and play lawn games on the Quad.
Susquehanna Mills Fry Wagon was all the buzz during the event with its small dishes of fresh-cut french fries. The fries were cooked in recycled fryer waste oil, showcasing a more environmentally-friendly method of potato preparation. The Fry Wagon drew in crowds of people hoping to taste the sustainable snack for themselves.
“I thought the fries were really yummy,” Nieve Kelly ’24 said. “It was cool to see them fry them in front of us.”
Jenifer Katim ’25, one of the organizers of EarthFest and a student intern at the Office of Sustainability, worked at the thrift store promoting the purchase of secondhand items.
“Instead of throwing the clothes away or just abandoning the clothes anywhere else, there are some people who can reuse them,” Katim said.
Over 50 people visited the store, selecting items to buy from an array of donated clothing, room decor and kitchenware.
Many students left the event carrying new sustainably-sourced goodies and equipped with more information about sustainability efforts on campus than before.
“I thought it was a really nice event and it was a good opportunity for everyone on campus to see earth-friendly stuff and just be more aware of sustainable options that we already have on campus,” said attendee Fallon Regan ‘27.
Organizer Smith believes that environmental justice must be a community-wide effort and that EarthFest is just one way for students to learn about how to live more sustainably.
“The main purpose is to come together in celebration of Earth Day, but also it’s a reminder that Earth Day is every day,” Smith said. “Coming to this event, learning something new, meeting a new vendor or just getting a new connection to the Earth is really just going to lift us all up towards this more sustainable campus future.”
“Anyone can be a part of the solution,” she continued.
