Greene Street went green as students gathered to promote environmental sustainability through crafts and activities at Earth Jam on Tuesday. The event also marked the announcement of a new partnership between USC and the Bio4Edu program.
Put together annually by Sustainable Carolina, Earth Jam is a street fair that celebrates Earth Day and advocates for sustainability. Students had the opportunity to try out Segways, blend their own smoothies via bicycle energy and sign a sustainability pledge.
The USC EcoReps, partnered with Sustainable Carolina, attended Earth Jam to promote their organization as well as the sustainability cause itself. They also are partnered with Rock the Bike, the company that can direct bicycle pedaling energy to an attached blender.
USC EcoRep and third-year nursing student Keira Newman was representing the EcoReps and working with the blender bike.
“We promote sustainability on campus, in the residence halls," Newman said. "Lately, we’ve been trying to work with a lot of community organizations, too, reaching out to the community in different ways.”
This year’s Earth Jam was organized in a large part by Karlee Liddy, Sustainable Carolina volunteer and third-year environmental science student. Liddy encouraged students on Greene Street to sign the sustainability pledge.
“It’s a pledge to be a more ‘sustainable me,’ so we’re also partnered with Travel Lightly Day," Liddy said. "So, just little things you can do throughout your day: you can recycle, you can bike to school, you can skateboard."
She said that the sustainability pledge focuses on individual responsibility and pushes people to look at the big environmental picture.
“This is not necessarily a promise to us, but just a promise to yourself that you’ll try to be more mindful, " she said. "It’s just a mindset, you know, when you throw something out, think of where that’s going to go or what kind of impact that has.”
During the event, it was announced that USC will be the first university to hold a partnership with Bio4Edu, which is a program that aims to create and promote opportunities for sustainability education.
One of Bio4Edu’s founders is South Carolina’s own Midlands Biofuels, a company that recycles vegetable oils. Fourth-year international studies student Caroline Westberg is an associate of Midlands Biofuels and promoted USC’s new partnership.
“Bio4Edu takes recycled vegetable oil from local businesses, restaurants and schools, turns it into biodiesel, sells it, and gives a portion of the proceeds back to the local school systems,” Westberg said. “Bio4Edu will be making a donation to Sustainable Carolina, as we have been donating our waste oil to Midlands Biofuels for some time now.”
Both USC and local community organizations came together at the festivities to sustain their home planet and to educate others into the same direction.