Despite rainy weather causing last week’s Earth Day celebration to move indoors to the Rogue River Room, the festivities went on as planned.
The Ecology Center of the Siskiyous celebrated early on Wednesday, April 20, inviting clubs and organizations from throughout the community to share how they can better the globe.
Participants provided many environmentally friendly decisions for every lifestyle from food choices, to feminine hygiene.
Carys Wilkins and Heather Kendall of ECOS resurrected the club’s smoothie bike, which blends smoothies when pedaled.
The Queer Resource Center made an appearance teaching their audience how to make envelopes out of magazine pages.
The Ceramics Club sold student produced plates, bowls and shot glasses to provide some reusable dinner wear.
The hiking club returned from the ocean caves and redwoods of Oregon to host a bake sale and raise money to fund future trips.
The Women’s Resource Center came on strong, with advocacy for less wasteful feminine hygiene.
Raphaelle Kunkel was teaching all about the Diva Cup and Glad Rags which are reusable and sustainable options as opposed to cotton and cardboard pads and tampons which have certain harmful effects on the planet.
“[Traditional tampons and pads] frequently wash up on beaches,” said Kukel. “They are full of chemicals and so it makes sense that they would make cramps and bloating worse.”
Sadie Stednitz, president of the biology club brought a variety of small potted plants all cloned or bred in Southern Oregon University greenhouses and were sold to raise maintenance money for those greenhouses.
The community of Ashland also presented many eco -friendly decisions to apply on and off of campus.
Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group representative Angelina Dice shared with listeners about a number of products sponsored by tax subsidies, namely corn.
OSPIRG is launching a national campaign to make Americans aware that their taxpayer dollars are directly funding unhealthy food.
ECOS hosted another successful Earth Day with sales, crafts and education all in the name of helping the world.