GREEN's Earth Week a hit

By Kristina Chiapella

This past week Santa Clara experienced a breath of fresh air as GREEN club activities from April 16 to 26 celebrated Earth Day and promoted awareness about what students can do to practice sustainable, planet-friendly living.

Santa Clara Earth Week included an Earth Day-themed open mic night in The Bronco, a movie night featuring "The End of Suburbia" and was highlighted by the Earth Day festival in the Santa Clara Mall.

Junior James Hanold is co-president of the GREEN club, which stands for GrassRoots Environmental Efforts Now. "We've been planning for this pretty much the whole year. This is our main event of the year, and we always like to make sure this is a really cool thing," Hanold said.

Wednesday's festival boasted various booths run by campus clubs, local companies and organizations, as well as informational tables staffed by the GREEN club. People milled in and out throughout the day, buying handmade peace chains that said "peace" in different languages, GREEN club shirts and Nalgene water bottles and climbing the rock wall that towered beside Benson.

The events also attracted a number of children.

"I'd say this is probably our best Earth Day since I've been here because of the overwhelming support we've been getting and the widespread participation," Hanold said. "We're all working to show our appreciation for this earth. It's a culminating effort of a lot of concerned people."

Co-president Tim Sennott, also a TSC photographer, said while the festival was modeled on previous years, this year's GREEN club members have focused on bringing a number of interested groups into the Earth Day fun.

"This year we had 20-plus tables of other organizations, from Silicon Valley Power to GreenEMotors, from Labor Action to Bottom Line and Beyond, from faculty research to RecycleMania," he said.

Throughout the year there has been a surge in GREEN club activities, from guest speakers and art installs to hosting movies and discussions and expanding their membership. "We're working really hard to get the message out there that this is not a hippie thing, not a marginal thing -- it involves everyone," Sennott said.

The goal behind Santa Clara Earth Day was to get a greater part of the student body involved in the issues of sustainability without lecturing and to promote awareness in a friendly and festive atmosphere.

GREEN club member Caroline Park emphasized how easy it can be to make positive lifestyle changes. "You don't have to turn into a vegetarian, you can just do little things like turning off the lights when you leave a room, or using a Nalgene water bottle instead of buying a new one every day," she said.

Hanold agreed that taking baby steps can be the best way to begin. "Today is more about having fun and celebrating the earth in an environmentally conscious way, and less about telling someone how they have to live their life," he said. "We just need to keep an open mind to the fact that none of us are perfect in our habits, but challenging ourselves to change at least one factor of our daily routine."

For those who want to become more proactive in promoting sustainability, GREEN club meetings are held on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. in Kennedy 108. The club takes the shape of a friendly community, with weekly dinners on Wednesdays at Citrus House, a sustainable house located on Lafayette Street.

With events like Earth Day, GREEN club is at the forefront of environmental action at Santa Clara, but members know that everyone has a stake in the planet's future. "Our ultimate goal is to create a more conscious community," Park said. "By having events like these, I think we can effectively reach a broader group of people."

Sennott realizes that creating a sustainable world is a challenge but doesn't think it is an impossible task. "I feel like transitioning our society away from fossil fuels and to a more holistic, forward-thinking, sustainable future is truly our generation's call," he said. "I think we have a long way to go, but I'm optimistic."

Contact Kristina Chiapella at (408) 551-1918 or kchiapella@scu.edu.