With Earth Month in full swing, more than 10 clubs and organizations have collaborated to bring a new week-long celebration, called Ecoweek, to life.

Ecoweek is a week full of events about sustainability and the environment starting Monday, April 20, and ending Sunday, April 26.

“Ecoweek is a part of the whole Earth Month celebration and awareness building that we are trying to do not only as the office of sustainability, but also with all the student organizations on campus,” said Merry Rankin, director of sustainability. “These events will engage students and faculty in different environmentally aware sustainability events to find different ways to connect to the celebration around Earth Month.”

Wicitra Mahotama, senior in environmental science and president of the Environmental Science Club, said the week provides students with a week of fun events to participate in during the spring.

“I think the intent of the events is that everybody finds their own personal connection to the Earth and sustainability and to provide a more sustainable future not only for us, but for future generations that follow us,” Rankin said.

All proceeds during the week go to Charity Water, an organization whose goal is to provide everyone in the world with clean and safe drinking water.

“We just want to get the campus to be involved in sustainability and to understand what that’s about,” said Hannah Hoglund, senior in environmental science. “When we say, ‘I’m an environmental science major,’ people always say, ‘oh, so you like recycling’ but really there’s just so much more to it. We just want to help people understand that it can be fun to help the environment.”

Events during the week range from a tabling event in the free speech zone to planting and harvesting seeds for the student organic farm.  

“We want people to learn new habits or try new things that will lessen our individual impact and our collective impact,” Rankin said. “A lot of times I think it’s so easy. You go about your daily routine and you really think you’re doing something good. You might not really realize the different impacts some of your decisions can make.”

Mahotama said working alongside other sustainable clubs has been a humbling experience, and watching their ideas become reality demonstrates the power of what a group of people can accomplish.

“I want [students] to realize that through their individual behavior, they can make a difference and the impact they’re having on the environment,” Mahotama said. “I really want students to just get out of their comfort zones and learn something because the best way to learn is by exploring.”

Although this will be the first ever Ecoweek, Rankin said she believes and hopes the week will soon become an annual tradition.

“Ever since I’ve started, students have always wanted to have an entire week to do all these celebrations and events, but there just hasn’t really been time or the organization in order to make that happen,” Rankin said. “So this is a victory for a number of students and organizations because this has been a dream for quite some time.”

To find out about more events geared toward creating a sustainable future, click here.