Earth Fest: Learning to Be Smart About our World

October 20, 2008

Peter got into the spirit of Earth Fest by carving a recycling symbol

Eat locally grown food! Stop mountaintop removal mining! Save the planet! These were a few of the messages at Earth Fest, where more than 200 students gathered to learn about environmental and social justice issues. See a photo album...

"It was great to see how many people showed up for Earth Fest," said Scott, an E-Proctor. "People have a hard time seeing how their day-to-day actions can make a difference on global warming, especially at Exeter where very few students drive cars. Earth Fest focused mostly on issues over which we can have some influence, like reducing plastic waste and knowing what impact the things you buy can have on the earth."

The day was beautiful – unseasonably warm and sunny. There was music, pumpkin carving, food and tightrope walking (a safe 2 feet off the ground). Student-run booths took on serious issues. Students could swap energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for energy-saving compact fluorescents. At the water-tasting table, they compared bottled waters and samples from taps on campus. Enterprising Exonians organized a booth for Power Vote, a national organization working with schools to highlight the importance of energy issues in the 2008 election. Two ESSO groups also collaborated: Pennies for Peace and Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty Walk (CROP Walk).

For Peter, a new lower, Earth Fest's collegial approach to learning about important issues was perfect. "Through a combination of fun activities and information booths, Earth Fest gave us all a chance to come to terms with how we can make our relationship with the earth a more mutualistic one."

"You could tell that everyone had worked hard to research their topics," says Scott, leader of the on-campus project "What's the Wattage?" which educates students about the real cost of watts (both financial and in terms of carbon footprint). "I learned a lot about bottled water, smart consumption, and what other groups on campus are doing for the environment," he added.

Artist Deb Cinamon Whalen, a member of the Green Artists League (GAL), worked with students on an interactive art project designed to teach about the deleterious effects of mountaintop removal mining. She showed students how to handfelt squares, rubbing wool together with leaves, twigs and other natural objects. Cinamon Whalen will assemble the squares into an "earth blanket," which will be displayed on campus.

Jennifer Wilhelm, Exeter's sustainability coordinator, sees Earth Fest as "an opportunity to educate the community about current sustainability problems facing our world. It's all done in a positive and interactive way, so that students will walk away with a deeper understanding of the problems and ways in which they can work to solve them."

"Exeter has made great progress towards having a green campus, but there's still more we can do," says Scott. "The most important aspect is to educate our peers," he added, so that they "won't forget how important a healthy environment is to a prosperous world."

Earth Fest is an annual event sponsored by Exeter's Environmental Action Committee (EAC).
More than 100 Exeter students contribute to sustainability projects through four organizations: EAC, E-Proctors, Carbon Committee and the Farm and Garden Club. Major projects include: the Green Cup Challenge, Focus the Nation (a national youth-based climate change education event), the campus organic garden, recycling and composting.

Interested in learning more?

See a photo album...

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