Students found a fun way to learn about sustainability Friday while celebrating Earth Day in a green way.
The Campus Sustainability Office, Center for Sustainability and the Office of Student Affairs sponsored an Earth Day Celebration in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Alumni Hall as a cap-off to Penn State’s Earth Week that was celebrated from April 16-20.
Leaders of groups that dedicate their time to helping the Penn State community be more eco-friendly set up booths around the hall in hopes to better educate attendees about the importance the topic has on the world today.
Eco Rep Sam Cready was there with other representatives to pass out flyers and greet people at the door. Cready (freshman-environmental resource management) said that they were encouraging students and passersby to check out the booths by offering them a chance to win a free iPad if they stopped at seven stations.
The stations consisted of posters, statistics and free organic granola bars and cupcakes. Some booths had a more fun feel to better educate students including a “ultra high efficiency vehicle” that was on display.
Jill Morris and Ken Palamora stood behind their booth with posters explaining the “Project Baoma,” done through Engineers Without Borders. Both said the members are national, but they represent the Penn State’s Chapter.
Morris (sophomore-environmental systems engineering) said that she, along with other members of Engineers Without Borders, have been to Sierra Leone in Africa. She added that the project consists of bringing “ground-breaking” treatments to make the water from the small village lacking reliable water sources cleaner. The treatments make for more sustainable water using engineering, Morris said.
Though Palamora (sophomore-energy engineering) said that since it is his first year involved with the project, he has not been to Africa yet but came out to better inform the community about what they are doing.
“It is about implementing simple solutions for big problems,” Palamora said.
Among other booths, there were speakers periodically and education of earth management information on display.
Thirteen-year sales representative Joe Lawrence from RICOH, stood next to a copier from the company which promotes copier sustainability.
Lawrence said that the company is always looking for implementations to install into the copier to show the user how to save energy. One of the new energy-saving techniques includes a digital screen put on the front of the machine.
“It will show you how you’re actually saving paper and what you’re doing to help the environment,” Lawrence said.
