Community members celebrated the 54th annual Earth Day on Monday, making efforts to preserve the planet in the Ames and Iowa State communities.

“I always reduce, reuse, recycle,” said Makenzie Myrum, a freshman in pre-architecture. “I save plastic bags and reuse them and always use reusable water bottles.” 

CyRide offers buses to and from campus and to Ames, making it one solution for students looking to make an impact.

“I always make sure I recycle and try to take public transportation to and from campus instead of taking my car,” said Brenna Vierling, a freshman criminal justice major.

Another way some students aim to help the planet is by turning off unnecessary lights and unplugging appliances, as one student said.

“Every time I leave my dorm I unplug everything with the exception of my fridge as well as turning off all of the lights,” said Hailey Howard, a freshman studying kinesiology on a pre-physical therapy path. “Picking up trash is also something I always do. When I am back home, I go on walks and pick up trash as I walk by since it’s something easy you can do.”

There are also opportunities for local, sustainable shopping in Ames, including Z.W. Mercantile, which specializes in waste-free and reusable products and Worldly Goods, a fair-trade store with products from around the globe. There are also a variety of local fashion thrift stores, such as The Loft Resale, Overflow Thrift Store and Miss Meyer’s Clothing Consignment.

For more environmental resources from Iowa State, visit the Office of Sustainability website and learn more about its Live Green! Initiative.