Earth Week at UW-La Crosse was held from Monday, April 18 to Friday, April 22. Several different organizations on campus worked to showcase the messages behind Earth Week by holding earth-themed events during the week.

Organizations such as Students for Sustainability (SFS) held a “Make Your Own Toothpaste” event at Hoeschler Tower on Wednesday, April 15. This was held to promote not only saving money, but also more importantly, reducing the amount of chemicals that are ingested from our personal care products on a daily basis.

In addition, Chartwell’s Dining Service and their sustainability intern for the semester, sophomore Judith Arney, worked collaboratively in the weeks preceding Earth week to discuss and plan events centered around earth day and advocacy for more sustainable living.

Arney is pursuing a major in biology and a minor in environmental studies, and this is her first semester interning with Chartwell’s. “Our goal for earth week was to not only promote sustainability, but to have an event scheduled for each day that would help to promote more sustainable choices,” said Arney.

After a lot of thought, time and collaboration with Chartwell’s, the following sustainable activities and events were selected to be held during Earth Week:

• Monday: “Meatless Monday” – meatless menu options available in both Cartwright and Whitney to celebrate the positive health and environmental benefits of going meatless one day a week, and Free Movie Night in The Cellar – WALL-E
• Tuesday: “Love Food Not Waste” campaign in Whitney – weighing all of the food that is thrown away during certain dining periods in Whitney Center to showcase how much waste is generated by students
• Wednesday: Special Earth Week menu in The Cellar, featuring walnut burgers and dirt cups
• Thursday: Free Reusable Mug Giveaway in Murphy’s Mug and Starbucks – lucky customers win a reusable mug filled with a complimentary drink; Street Fair in Drake Field from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• Friday: Earth Day! Reusable mug giveaway continues! Earth-friendly Hampton Creek cookies given away with every meal purchase in The Galley!

Arney also commented that these are just the events occurring during the week of Earth Week itself, but there is also much discussion and planning going into how some of the practices in Chartwell’s can be redesigned to promote sustainability.

“Right now we’re talking about possibly getting rid of the bags for subs in Mondo’s and also getting rid of the plastic wrap on a lot of food items. There is also talk of replacing the individual sugar packets at the coffee shops on campus with a large container of sugar. Although these ideas seem like very minimal changes, they could potentially have some decent effects in terms of waste minimization,” said Arney.

Arney also remarked that each and every student plays a role in both generating waste and minimizing waste production.

“Everything adds up. Each napkin, each fork, each piece of food that is thrown away. Every student has an impact, which means that even just one student can make an impact on decreasing food waste. It’s so easy to just throw something away and remove yourself from it, but everyone can make a huge difference by simple, easy lifestyle changes,” said Arney.

Dr. Shannon Amberg, Professor of Environmental Studies, provided some advice for people who want to convert to healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.

“Read and learn as much as you can about the environment and how it connects to us and the Earth. I would also suggest that everyone pick one or two things that are simple to do and easy to integrate into your current lifestyles, and just do it! The opportunities to be more eco-friendly are endless, and it becomes easier to adopt new behaviors as you get used to the changes,” said Amberg.