Students on Saturday gathered on the Academic Quad to participate in the annual Earth Fest celebration organized by student organization Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO).
Earth Fest was part of a commemoration of Earth Day — which takes place on April 22 every year — and marked the culmination of the ECO−sponsored Earth Week on campus. Saturday's festivities included a host of environmentally friendly activities, live performances and a clothing swap.
ECO hoped that students would gain more awareness about the environment at Earth Fest, while enjoying all the activities being hosted on the quad.
"It was a celebration of Earth Day to remind people to think about environmental issues, and to just have fun," senior Heather Buckner, one of ECO's officers, said.
The event was well attended, as the nice weather drew a crowd to the outdoor event, according to Buckner.
"The fact that it was a really nice day brought a lot of people out," Buckner said. "People were having fun and walking around."
As event attendees enjoyed free veggie burgers and listened to live music by performers like percussion group B.E.A.T.S., ECO staffed a number of tables offering individuals the opportunity to participate in sustainable art projects, such as making "seed bombs," using henna and tie−dying t−shirts.
Students from the Experimental College class Environmental Action: Shifting from Saying to Doing, which is trying to reduce paper waste on campus, set up a table collecting signatures for a petition in support of making double−sided printing the default for printers in Tisch Library and Eaton Computer Lab.
The Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), with assistance from the Office of Sustainability and ECO, also ran a clothing swap on the quad, according to Tufts Recycles! Coordinator Dawn Quirk.
Students had the opportunity to exchange apparel by donating used clothes in good condition and picking up items donated by other individuals.
Sophomore Rachael Wolber, a TIE intern who helped coordinate the clothing swap, explained that the swap was intended as a substitute for the now−defunct Jumbo Drop, a collection and yard sale for students to recycle their possessions.
"The idea is that Jumbo Drop is not really happening anymore, and people have a lot of clothes that they would just throw away," Wolber said. "By purchasing new clothes, you're just creating more consumption and stressing the environment. [Through the swap] you get to recycle your clothes, give back to campus and help the environment."
Wolber added that the swap was a success and hopes to be able to repeat it.
"It went really well, we got a lot of clothes, everything was free," she said. "This is definitely something we want to do again in the future."
Quirk said that Tufts Recycles! next year plans to be more involved in the clothing swap to expand its reach and further encourage environmentally conscious practices.
