May 4, 2021

Earth Day, Every Day!

At Lafayette, students, faculty, and staff don’t celebrate just Earth Day. Each year, events to honor the College’s commitment to sustainability occur throughout the entire month of April. 

Thrive and Pop-Up Thrift Shop are two of the activities the Office of Sustainability organized to engage students during this year’s Earth Month. (See the full schedule of events.)

Thrive Program

A student wearing a mask reads a Thrive brochure.
For the second year, the Counseling Center and LaFarm partnered to host Thrive, a well-being event that promotes positive emotional health and personal growth for students.
A student wearing a mask shovels soil into a pot.
Typically held on the Quad during the fall semester, this year’s event was moved to the spring semester and enabled students to access programming three different ways: in person on the Quad, in person at LaFarm, or virtually from any location.
A student wearing a mask examines a pot to fill with soil.
“Our hope was to give students choices that would meet their comfort level,” says Jonathan Asayag, outreach coordinator of the Counseling Center.
Hands smooth soil surrounding a plant.
The Counseling Center focused on eight different domains centered on promoting students’ emotional health and well-being: gratitude, mindfulness, self-compassion, growth mindset, connection, digital detox, sleep, and exercise.
A student wearing a mask draws on the outside of a clay pot.
Students had the opportunity to plant a plant and were encouraged to write messages about how they thrive at Lafayette.
A student wearing a mask draws on the outside of a clay pot.
“I love plants, and I love that students want to have plants in their dorm rooms,” says Lisa Miskelly, assistant director of food and farm. “I think there is such a strong connection between taking care of a plant and taking care of oneself. This plant needs water, sunlight, nutrients, and a little bit of attention, and so I think the plants are really symbolic of how we take care of ourselves.”
A student draws patterns on the outside of a clay pot.
“Our hope was for students to not only learn about Thrive principles but to also familiarize themselves with the staff at the Counseling Center while experiencing the wonderful resources LaFarm has available,” Asayag says. “We felt that students left our programs being more mindful with connecting to themselves and each other, especially during such a challenging year.
A student wearing a mask draws on the outside of a clay pot.
“One of many positive outcomes of this event was being able to witness the connection students made with one another as well as how receptive and insightful they were to the conversation,” Asayag says. “They also appreciated the connection to nature through the plants and soil.”

Pop-Up Thrift Shop

Tables filled with clothes set up outside of Watson Hall and Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center.
For the third year, the Office of Sustainability sponsored a Pop-Up Thrift Shop to encourage students, faculty, and staff to donate clothing and housewares they no longer need to other members of the campus community. Shoppers paid nothing for the items.
A sign advertising the pop-up thrift shop on campus.
Gateway Career Center co-sponsored the event and donated professional attire to help students in need of workplace apparel.
Students wearing masks look through clothing on a table in front of Watson Hall.
“We received almost 800 donations of individual items, which was really exciting and really exceeded our expectations,” says Julianna Carpenetti ’21, a biology major and EcoRep. “We received clothing items, including shirts, jackets, sweaters, shorts, jeans, skirts, dresses, and shoes. We also received accessories and dorm decor, such as posters, lights, flags, and school supplies.”
A student wearing a masks looks closer at a sweater, while holding several others in front of a table of clothing at the pop-up thrift shop.
“This supports a sustainable campus culture by letting students give their old clothes a new home and to get new clothes without buying new,” Carpenetti says.
Students wearing masks look through a bucket of Halloween costumes.
“By doing this on campus, we can simultaneously raise awareness about practical sustainable habits that students can use in their daily lives, and also make it convenient for students to engage in green activities.”
Bright storage bin, with hangers and clothes sticking out of it, rads
Lafayette’s Earth Month activities demonstrated the College’s commitment to sustainability while also helping students thrive.

 

Categorized in: Featured News, News and Features, Sustainability