Fun time being green

By Matthew K. Jensen

April 23, 2008 

Tuesday was Earth Day and the best show of holiday spirit came not from tree planters or carpoolers but from those found on the Utah State campus throwing a dilapidated bicycle across a grass field with all their might.

Students and passersby strolled through booths and tables to collect handouts and candy as experts shared their suggestions about using less, conserving more and making the world a better place in the process.

Different activities relayed different messages at Tuesday morning’s event. One game, called Mt. Trashmore, required relay teams to run back and forth filling large barrels with recyclable shredded paper — the group with the most filling won.

Aggie Blue Bikes set up safety boundaries for their attraction — a contest to see how far participants could throw an old bike with their bare hands.

“The way this is environmental, is that we’re using the same bike over and over,” joked Adam Christensen, program coordinator.

He later added that the bike tossing was simply a bold way to market the group’s services and have fun at the event.

The record toss landed about 25 feet from the throw point.

A 22-year-old chemistry major organized the event — a first ever of its kind. The Going Green Extravaganza on USU’s Quad gathered dozens of organizations and activities for participants to discuss and share knowledge about environmental issues and increase their eco-awareness.

“This was my idea and I then approached the USU Sustainability Council who gave me a lot of support and helped me put this together,” said Sara Huefner, who originally designed the idea for a campus club activity. “I basically started gathering sponsors and organizations to come and then received support from different groups.”

Huefner said that the activity was also sponsored by the College of Science and Crumb Brother’s Artisan Bread.

One booth offered finger painting — not the kind done with fingers but an actual green paintbrushing of student’s index finger to symbolize a commitment to maintain the planet.

Other organizations were represented as well. Utah Conservation Corps manned a table to recruit summer volunteers for service projects. USU facilities came to the event complete with informative posters and new efficient products they use to clean and service USU’s many buildings.

Facilities’ assistant supervisor Mike Arnett talked about some of the methods the university uses to save water including switching to foam soap for campus restrooms, using color-coded cleaning rags and always keeping up with the best chemical products.

The event drew a lot of people and Huefner said she hopes the event will turn into a school tradition.

E-mail: mjensen@hjnews.com  

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