By Shruti Kumar
The University of Maryland’s Denton Community Quad held its 7th Annual GreenFest on Thursday, April 18. The event focused on bringing to light more healthy, sustainable practices and environmentally-conscious habits for the UMD community.
The event featured stalls tabled by over 20 organizations promoting GreenFest’s message, including Terps Recycle, Green Roots and the Farmers Market at Maryland. With a number of interactive booths and activities, GreenFest encouraged students to actively think about their consumption and waste production.
Lisa Alexander, the coordinator of sustainability programs for the Department of Resident Life, said the department is grateful for the efforts of students and the university’s dining services.
“GreenFest is student organizations and campus sustainability coming together… we’ve been focusing on zero waste,” Alexander said. “It gives people a platform to talk about the work they’ve done regarding sustainability for the campus.”
The organization Terps Recycle said it promotes the zero waste goal with its various initiatives. It recently concluded its event RecycleMania, an annual 8-week competition that challenges schools across the United States and Canada to recycle the most. Terps Recycle’s representatives said they advertise minimizing waste on campus and are currently promoting composting in all campus buildings.
Ryan Leeson, a freshman computer science major, said attending the event was an educational experience.
“I think it’s important for there to be awareness of [environmentally sustainable habits],” Leeson said. “GreenFest is important because it gives [students] a platform [for a] positive lifestyle.”
Another organization present was the Maryland Food Collective, a worker-owned food cooperative that is committed to providing healthy, conscious and affordable food to the community. The organization was started by students in 1975 and has been located in the basement of the Stamp Student Union since.
Emily Fox, a freshman politics, philosophy and economics major and support worker at the co-op, said that the organization’s main goal is to serve its community and promote healthy consumption. She said that despite having operated for nearly 45 years and raising almost $10,000 in support, the Maryland Food Collective is in danger of being shut down.
“We are the only independent business on campus but unfortunately, we don’t make enough money [and are] trying to garner student support behind us,” Fox said. “It’s a matter of raising enough money [and] getting political pressure behind us.”
By the end of GreenFest, Alexander said over 200 people had come to the event and were able to learn about the Department of Resident Life’s initiatives.