Did it feel like there were a lot more groups set up on the south library lawn yesterday? That is because it was National Campus Sustainability Day, coinciding with coincided with National Campus Sustainability Month.

Student groups and other Ames community organizations used the day to host a tabling event to advertise the many ways that their groups promote sustainability.

“We want students to find a connection to sustainability” said Laurelin Haas, senior in community and regional planning and a Live Green! community engagement intern. “Whether it’s through the [student] organizations or by finding small niche things.”

The theme of the event this year was “Campus as a Catalyst,” Haas said.

“We are highlighting all of the great initiatives and accomplishments that makes the Ames community a catalyst for a sustainable future,” Haas said.

The event consisted of over 30 groups from the Ames community, promoting many different aspects of sustainability.

“We really made an effort to branch out from just the environmental aspects of sustainability,” Haas said.

Haas said that some of the other sustainability aspects represented were food, energy and transportation sustainability. Groups representing these categories included the student-run food bank, Students Helping Our Peers, known as SHOP, the Wind Energy Student Organization and the ISU Bike Share Program.

“I found the ISU Bike Share Program very interesting,” said Shawn Vollmer, freshman in civil engineering. “I really hope that we can have bikes on campus that we can rent soon.”

The bike share program is working on a way to allow bikes to be checked out by students and staff for use around campus.

Students were also allowed to bring their bikes to the event for free tune-ups, ranging from inflating bike tires to doing some minor repairs to the bike.

During the event, students had many opportunities to win prizes and were provided free hot chocolate and coffee if they brought their own reusable mug.

SHOP was also present, providing students with an easy way to donate canned food to the bank and ensuring that “even one canned good will make a difference to students.”

“I donated to the food bank because I wanted to help make a difference,” said Mat Winch, sophomore in industrial technology. “It always feels good when I know I am helping a student in need.”

Before the event ,Haas said she was hoping for a large turn out, betting on the nice weather to draw people outside.

Haas got her wish. The event drew all sorts of people, including prospective students visiting for the day.

All in all, the day went off without a hitch. Students got to learn about sustainability and the clubs got to advertise and promote their causes.

“I just hope that students will learn something,” Haas said. “We want them to walk away from the event with a better understanding of what sustainability is, and hopefully they are encouraged to be more sustainable themselves.