Garden party

By Diara Fowler |Contributing Writer|

Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) wanted to bring awareness about Earth Week by deciding to hold its very first ever Garden Party on campus on April 18, the event took place in front of the library lawn.

According to Earth Day Network, Gaylord Nelson was the first founder of Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

The idea was to spread consciousness about air and water pollution by forcing environmental protection onto the national political agenda.

During the very first Earth Day back in 1970, over 20 million Americans took the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate a healthy environment coast to coast.

This event gave students the opportunity to decorate their own clay pot and plant their choice of either a herb or flower while socializing with other Yotes.

“We have provided students with pots, the students can then decorate the pot and we have then provided them with soil. We also provided seeds and they will get to take them home when finished,” said Helen Martinez, Santos Manuel Student Union member.

This fun filled activity was not only one of a kind but informational as well.

Volunteers gathered on the school grounds with a few other members such as the recycling team, Red Cross, and others to educate and help spread the word trying to get students to engage in more of a sustainable environment.

“Sustainability has a lot to do with keeping your carbon footprint as small as possible such as growing food, recycling and buying a reusable bottle that just has a filter,” said student Eloise Amendt.

The theme of the Garden Party was to just have fun and let lose; the turnout was a success.

“We got these little pots and a lot of stuff to decorate them and make it fun and not just, here’s your pot and that’s it. It’s cool because you get to take these home when you’re done,” said volunteer Andrew Barrera.

Students gathered on the library lawn with friends and other classmates to decorate their own clay pot by using glitter and vibrant 3-D colored paints to personalize pots and make them stand out.

“It is important to promote an Eco-friendly environment especially here within campus grounds,” said Martinez.

As the party progressed more students began to join in on the fun, expressing their vision and inspirations onto the mini plant pots.

After the pots were fully decorated with paints, glitter and other accessories they were then provided soil for the plant of their choosing.

A member of the team would then take you to where the soil was located and put the appropriate amount of soil into your choice of a flower seed or a herb.

“I have plants. I actually just got into gardening at home. I have what’s known as the celoso plant otherwise known as the jealous plant. It’s Red and Orange it is very bright it’s very cool and fun I like it,” stated student Angie Teran.

As CSUSB celebrates sustainability week on campus, we are reminded that anyone can make a difference in our planet by becoming more Eco-friendly.