Sponsoring Sustainapalooza: Who’s putting it together?
Jessica Darland/Iowa State Daily
The Office of Sustainability hosted this year’s “Sustainapalooza” in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Feb. 24. There were informational booths set up and activities for students to participate in, such as signing a pledge, make-your-own lip balm and pine cone air fresheners, creating hats for cancer patients and walking down the green carpet. Michael Snook, senior in computer engineering, looks at a prototype bike for a possible bike share program.
February 27, 2017
Sustainapalooza, Iowa State’s annual celebration of sustainable practices on campus, will take place Tuesday. The event is designed to be a companion event to the Symposium on Sustainability and will include different activities and interactive experiences to increase awareness of sustainable practices. But the question of who is involved in the event still remains. Learn about the event sponsors below.
The Green Umbrella
The Green Umbrella is a campus organization that tries to emphasize and educate Iowa State students on the sustainable practices and efforts that are happening on campus.
According to the student organization page, the goals of The Green Umbrella are three-fold: “Create an open forum for discussion about Green Initiatives at ISU, act as one voice to ISU administration about student sustainability issues and brainstorm ways to teach students how they can make their lives more sustainably, how they can participate in Go Green efforts and how they can voice their opinions on sustainable issues.”
The Green Umbrella will sponsor “Green It Yourself” activities at the event, offering attendees the opportunity to learn about sustainable practices on campus, like upcycling, food waste and green personal care.
Office of Sustainability
The Iowa State Office of Sustainability has been involved with the Symposium on Sustainability for eight years, and Merry Rankin, director of sustainability, is also the adviser of The Green Umbrella.
They host a keynote speaker at the event, as well as the Live Green! Awards ceremony at the end of the night, which “recognizes ISU faculty, faculty, staff, and students who are making an impact on the campus’ sustainability efforts by generating awareness and interest through initiatives that focus on teaching, research, outreach and/or operations,” according to the Office of Sustainability’s official website.
There are six award categories: cultural impact, impact on natural resources, economic impact, transferability, legacy to the Live Green! Initiative and sustainability, and overall award merit.
Sustainapalooza will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union.
