Worried about the fate of her planet, UF student Victoria Thompson found herself among like-minded peers on Wednesday, as the university celebrated Campus Earth Day.
The festivities, held more than a week before actual Earth Day on April 22, gave students a chance to learn about the different student organizations around campus working to promote sustainability.
“There is no plan B as everyone keeps saying,” said Thompson, a 22-year-old UF business administration senior. “This is our home, and we have to take care of it, because we keep destroying it.”
The purposefully premature party aims to catch students’ attention before finals begin to roll out in the coming days, said Matt Williams, the director of UF’s Office of Sustainability, which has organized the event for more than a decade.
“We find that we get much, much better participation and interest when people aren’t worried about their finals at the same time,” he said.
This year was the first time the celebration was held in front of the Reitz Union, Williams said. With renovations at the Plaza of the Americas, where the celebration is usually held, the Reitz Union offered to co-host the event to get involved with more student organizations.
He said the showcase was an opportunity for people to learn about how to get involved with UF’s sustainability organizations.
During the event, students participated in craft activities, recycling games and even interacted with a boa constrictor from an animal conservation group.
Thompson said she enjoyed how the showcase demonstrated there’s more to sustainability than just recycling. She said it showed how conservation relates to wildlife, food production and the overall environment.
Among the groups represented were the Exotic Animal Club at UF, the UF Surfrider Foundation Club and RecSports.
Savannah Stura, a 20-year-old UF biology sophomore, said she was excited to see organizations she could join to better the planet.
“Growing up, I was always told that it was important to care for the planet, and it is really amazing that UF is trying so hard to be sustainable,” Stura said.
Megan Ellis holds Naomi, an 11-year-old boa constrictor, on Wednesday. The 20-year-old UF wildlife conservation and ecology sophomore promoted the UF Wildlife Society club at the Sustainability Showcase.
