Students Go Eco Friendly

With signs ranging from “Hug a Recycler” to “Switching to CFLs is the sexiest and greenest thing you can do,” undergraduates descended upon the Malkin Athletic Center quad Saturday to learn about different ways to contribute to sustainability.

The Environmental Action Committee (EAC) sponsored the event that brought together an array of campus groups—from the Harvard College Democrats to the Harvard Outing Club—to encourage students to be involved in environmental efforts.

“We are trying to make this a community event, something everyone can participate in to make sustainability a part of everyday life,” said Alexandra A. Mushegian ’10, one of the event coordinators.

Moving from table to table, students listened to live music as they made jewelry beads out of old magazine paper and got recycling signs painted on their faces.

Earth Day revelers completed a scavenger hunt for sustainability information at all of the student tables in order to get a free Earth Day Nalgene bottle.

David A. Wax ’05 brought his band, The David Wax Museum, to perform “’Cause I Love the Earth” and to support the EAC, he said.

Mushegian said that the broad variety of groups in attendance showed the different facets of sustainability.

“All of the different student groups address different aspects of what it means to be environmentally active,” she said.

For example, Sustainable Allston, a subcommittee within the EAC, encouraged students to be active in ensuring that the University’s campus across the river would be designed with sustainability in mind. The Student Astronomers at Harvard Radcliffe brought a hydrogen alpha telescope so that students could look at the sun while learning about environmental issues.

The Resource Efficiency Program (REP) also took the opportunity to recognize the winners of the Eco Project Competition and to award the Green Cup.

The Eco Project Competition honors groups of students who complete unique environmental initiatives. This year’s winner was a group from Mather House that convinced Berryline to switch to compostable cups to make the business greener.

The Green Cup, the ultimate award for sustainability efforts in a House, was given to Cabot, which won because it had the highest number of eco project submissions and the highest rate of sustainability pledges—garnered by using cookies and pizza as incentives.

According to Cabot REP representative Thomas R. Benson ’09, winning the Green Cup was a sign of his House’s commitment to the environment.

“It’s an indication of how dedicated the people of Cabot are to living up to the name of the best, greenest House on campus.”

Diana Siu ’09 said the Earth Day events helped educate Harvard students about personal efforts they can make to be more environmentally friendly.

“It definitely sets the vibe for students to learn about different groups on campus, organizations I didn’t think about before but are interesting to read about and see what they do,” she said.