“We wanted to give the campus an opportunity to come together and celebrate one thing we all should appreciate and love which is the earth,” said Mady Behm, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Sustainability marketing intern.
That is exactly what UWL Sustainability did on Wednesday, April 22nd, when they hosted their sixth annual Earthapalooza.
UWL students flooded to the Student Union lawn to celebrate Earth Day with upbeat music, activities, prizes and a vegan meal.
“It’s a great turnout, so I’m really happy with it,” said Caroline Ingwell, UWL Sustainability events and engagement coordinator.
Earthapalooza followed a series of sustainability‑focused events held earlier in the week, including a lecture series by Jon Foley, a climate scientist, sustainability expert, educator and public speaker. Additional events included a talk by Gray Tappan and Taylor Tappan on defending environmental and community lands in West Africa and Costa Rica, Environmental Health Bingo, a Photographic History of the La Crosse River Marsh presented by Richard Frost and the Campus Thread Fashion Show.
UWL Sustainability partnered with numerous organizations, both on campus and within the greater La Crosse community to host Earthapalooza. Each group shared a common goal: celebrating the earth, promoting environmental awareness and educating students on how to live more sustainably.
“The intention of Earthapalooza is to be a celebration of all the good things happening on campus related to the environment,” said Andrew Ericson, UWL sustainability program manager. “It’s easy to fall into despair about environmental issues, and we think the best way to combat that is by doing things that make an impact while still celebrating the good and joyful things.”
Around a dozen booths lined the Student Union lawn, each highlighting a unique approach to sustainability. The Campus Thread sold leftover clothing from the fashion show held the night before, promoting reuse and sustainable fashion.
La Crosse Area Transit Advocates (LATA), a grassroots organization supporting public transportation, promoted programs encouraging the use of La Crosse’s Municipal Transit Utility (MTU) including their “Ride with a Guide” initiative.
“We support public transportation because it’s cleaner, greener, safer and more affordable,” said a LATA advocate.
A member of Friends of the Library with the La Crosse Public Library held a booth that allowed attendees to create their own unique piece of jewelry from upcycled materials. In doing this they aimed to promote their CREATE Lab, the library’s free creative community makerspace.
Drift Cycle, La Crosse’s bike‑share company, educated students on accessibility and sustainability. UWL’s newly formed Entomology Club also participated, advocating for the importance of insects and even giving students the opportunity to hold a cockroach.
“Insects are a keystone of our environment. Unfortunately, we’re seeing large population declines on a monumental scale, so we’re here to try and turn those ‘creepy crawlies’ into something cool!” said Jenna Emons, club president.
Additional booths included Friends of the Marsh, a local nonprofit focused on preserving the marsh, and the Positive Impact Society, which distributed potted flowers to students who pledged one action they would take to help the environment.
UWL Sustainability also hosted its own booth, where students were encouraged to draw their own version of the Lorax.
Ericson emphasized the role students play in driving sustainability efforts on campus.
“It is students who make the biggest change when it comes to sustainability,” he said. “If they want to see more sustainability, they should speak out and make sure that’s known.”
