Earth Day Carnival

The Green Campus Project celebrated Earth Day with carnival games, music and food centered around recycle-themed activities.

“The main goal for today is to spread the word about Earth Day and the importance of sustainability in general,” Alexander Caracciolo, Green Campus Project reporter and junior electrical engineering major said.

Andrea Wenzel, GCP secretary and sophomore animal science major, said that the Univerity of Wisconsin-Platteville GCP is a student-based organization where like-minded students discover new ways to make campus more sustainable. By doing so, they attempt to improve students’ lives and raise money.

“Besides the music, I really like the fact that people are showing their support for having a greener campus and lifestyle,” Tayte Hunter, sophomore business administration major, said.

There was a plethora of on and off campus organizations at the event supporting Earth Day. Off campus businesses included Blain’s Farm & Fleet, the Driftless Market and the Downtown Program.

On campus organizations included UW-Platteville Sunflower Oil, Biology Club, Ski and Snowboarding Club, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Phi, Students for Peace and Justice, Getting Involved Volunteering Through Experience, Engineers without Boarders – USA, Alpha Zeta, Student Ambassadors, Gamma Phi Beta, Pi Eta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta, Lutheran Campus Ministry and Reclamation Club.

All the booths promoted sustainability with related activities or information based on what their club does to live green lifestyle, according to Melanie Nanke, GCP president and a junior mechanical engineering major.

“[This event] showcases all the things we can do to help the environment,” Tad Martin, sophomore business administration major, said. “And this event shows what each club contributes to the environment [helping make the environment greener] because each club contributes in its own special way.”

Along with the informational booths, there were carnival games made from recycled items. Games included trivia questions, beanbag toss, bicycle energy, kite making, can toss, can decorating, ring toss and Plinko.

There was also a silent auction entitled Trash to Treasure. All items sold were made by students.

The UW-Platteville small business management students made an array of products from recycled materials for the silent auction. The products included pallet bookshelves, pallet and tree trunk wine racks, aluminum mosaic art, bottle tiki torches, bottle cap candles and more.

“[The Earth Day carnival is] definitely something that everyone on campus can be a part of. Sustainability doesn’t discriminate,” Caracciolo said.

The GCP conducted fundraisers collecting sponsor and SUFAC donations to help fund the food and giveaways. The giveaways included GCP t-shirts, pens, tote bags and “mystery seeds” for students to plant.

The sponsors were the Office of Sustainability, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, campus program and relations, SUFAC, the Driftless Market, Julie’s Da Vine Wine & Stein, Momentum Bicycles, Bader Brothers Coffee and the Platteville Main Street Program. Combining their efforts, the sponsors raised $300 from donations.

Not only was this event held to celebrate the Earth, it was also held to raise money for the campus garden, located between McGregor and Royce Hall. The campus garden is run and managed by GCP and student employees. Next year, the campus garden will be supplying Stations, the dining facility under Bridgeway Commons, with local, natural and freshly grown produce.

The $200 raised at the silent auction and through food sales will go back to the GCP for the members to organize similar future projects and to further improve the campus garden.

Last year at this event, there was only a welcome table and three other organizations. This year, the GCP members started planning right away in the fall semester. They had a total of 20 organizations show up and generous sponsor donations. Thinking forward, GCP has set the groundwork to make the Earth Day carnival even better next year, Megan Kubatzke, the vice president for GCP, and a junior double majoring in ornamental horticulture and reclamation, environmental and conservation, said.

The Green Campus Project meets twice a month and are open to all majors. They meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Art building room 204.