On April 22, 2008 UConn's EcoHusky student group and Dining Services' Local Routes teamed up for the first annual Earth Day Spring Fling. This partnership was started by Rebecca Gorin, Dining Services Area Manager and Local Routes Program Director, Alissa Becker, OEP Intern, and Daniel Britton, campus Sustainability Coordinator. Collaboration began as early as November between student groups to plan a truely sensational and sustainable event. The event raised excitement and awareness about environmental issues and over 2,000 people were engaged throughout the day.

Celebration on Fairfield Way!

Over 30 tables and displays promoting environmental awareness and technologies sprawled the entire length of Fairfield Way from 11:00-2:00. Ithica band Revision, played from 12:30-1:30, while hoola-hoopers, bikers and bystanders enjoyed dancing.

Throughout the event a locally grown and organic cook-out was put on by Local Routes which featured items such as local burgers, hotdogs, mushroom burgers, salad, Mountain Dairy Milk and UConn Dairy Bar Ice Cream.

Click here for the full menu!

Fitness hooping demonstrations were given by Carol Becker to lift the spirits for some carbon-free excercise. Free bike tune-ups were also offered to all who passed by on two wheels.

                                                                                                                                                               Carol Becker, Center, gives a hooping lesson                                         

Educational Tables Included

EcoHusky Student group member pose with President Michael Hogan

EcoHusky

Event Coordinator and Local Routes supervisor, Rebecca Gorin, takes a bite of delicious local greens

Dining Services Local Routes

Green Grads                                                                 EcoGarden Club

                                                     UConn Vegan Huskies                 CT Fund for the Environment              Willimantic Waste Paper Co.

CT Department of Agriculture                               UConn PIRG                                                Cool Coventry Club 

Uconn Foundation Green Campus Fund

CT Clean Energy Fund

UConn Nutrition Club

CitySeed

 

Green Technology Displays

Genesis One

                                         Manchester Honda Hybrid Car      Geothermal Technology, John Sima of   Weston Solutions Green Roof Display

                                                                                                        Hydro Dynamic Engineering LLC.

                     Sunlighter Solar Energy, Inc.                                    Solar Jam Productions                                                  UConn Biofuel Consortium

The event also included an Outdoor Market featuring local vendors with an environmental passion

                             Fowler & Huntting FreshPoint Connecticut              Cara Taylor Handbags                                 Autonomie Project

                                                                                  Maple Lane Farm                            Healthy Alternative Deli & Market                           The Farmer's Cow

YawnMower                                                    Shaklee

Vendors not featured in pictures who attended:         

Omar Coffee Company
Rich Valley Farm

Design your future

 

Passer-bys were encouraged to participate in games at the EcoHusky table, included a "think outside the bottle" tap vs. bottled water taste test and a recycling relay. Lucky winners received EcoHusky water bottles and other assorted goodies.

Student from area highschool tries his luck at the recycling relay.        EcoHusky member and UConn Power Shift 2007 Coordinator,

                                                                                                                                                    Leah Christiani,  invites people to "Think Outside the Bottle".                          

                                                                                     

The Mount Sneaker Recycling display also went strong for its 4th year in a row. Leah Giffin, OEP intern who spearheaded the effort, outdid herself again and built a collaboration which raised over 4,000 pounds of sneakers!

For more information on sneaker recycling check out Sneaker Recycling

Project lead Leah Giffin sits right, vicotrious on top of her mountain.

Best of all, this was a zero-waste event!

EcoHuskies worked hard to "Man the Can" throughout the day to educate people on how to properly dispose of their trash. There were five bins at each waste station: Paper Recycling, Bottles and Cans Recycling, Compost, True Garbage, and Biodegradable/Compostable Flatware.

Photos

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Sustainable Living Fair (UConn Co-Op)

All talks are free and open to the public
but to reserve a seat, call 860-486-5027

Featured Speakers/Topics:

 

Dorion Sagan : “Notes from the Holocene”

Beth Byron (CT Clean Energy Fund)

Growing Vegetables You Don’t Have to Plant Every Year

Easy Effective Composting

Everything You Want to Know About Farmers’ Markets

For more information visit: http://uconncoop.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents

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Eco-Fashion Show and Live Music
7:00-10:00 pm
SU Ballroom

The EcoHuskies organized night time events to keep the celebration going. Catherine Pomposi and Fiona Steward contacted local sustainable clothing vendors to organise the day's first eco-fashion show. Designers included Cara Taylor Handbags , Autonomie Project, Salvation Army, and Yawn Mower. After the fashion show, local bands rocked the crowd. Aaron Grade, EcoHusky Treasurer, organized the musical stylings. Live music featured Lawless Coast and Hostage Calm.

 

Fashion Show Co-Cordinators Fiona Stewart (left) and Catherine Pomposi (right)                                                                                         EcoHusky President Bianca Lopez (in white) enjoys the musical stylings

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Recycled Art Competition

The Benton Museum hosted a Recycled Art Competiton which received some true works of eco-art! Viewers were served fair trade coffee while voting on their favorite submissions.

Guidelines for Submission
 

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