Eco-Fest!!!!

I’m sure you are all aware that our environment is in pretty bad shape right now. But just in case you live under a rock, allow me to fill you in a little! The rising temperatures of our atmosphere is causing the polar ice caps to melt, and is beginning to take its toll on the ecosystem and all of its inhabitants. We live in a society of over-consumers that drive too much, eat too much, use too much energy, and don’t take the time to stop and think about how what they’re doing is effecting the environment. The detrimental effects we are having on our planet are starting to get worse, and it will not be long until we start to really experience this tragedy first-hand!

As scary as that all sounds, thankfully there are things that we can do to make a difference. This past Saturday, CSU Chico held its annual “Eco-Fest” in attempts to raise awareness about the environment. The day-long festival was filled with food, fun and friends and really helped spread the word about our need to take action. There were tables set up from different organizations on campus that are involved in environmental protection including the Environmental Affairs Council, the Student Agriculture Club and many more! Another neat thing that was on display was huge boards that showed different facts about others school’s methods of helping the environment. Chico State has also began to take more environmentally-safe measures, such as “take back the tap” which would allow student to fill up reusable containers for water instead of buying bottle on campus. There were a TON of things to do and see, and it was truly a great experience. Here is what I did….

When I first arrived with my friends, we immediately gravitated towards the food. I had a slice of living vegan cheesecake that was DELICIOUS and a cup of organic free-trade tea. Then I went over to the agriculture table where I bought my very own pepper plant! We took a look at all of the boards students had made on the environment, and perused the hand-made/recycled candle table. Then we sat and watched my friend Bob Reynolds and his band perform and called it a day!

There are so many things that we can do to help our environment. I have become increasingly concerned with this problem in the past few years, and have taken as many measures as possible to help out. I have been a vegetarian for almost a year, I drive as little as possible, I changed all the light bulbs in my house to energy efficient ones, and I eat organically whenever possible. You can make a difference too! If everyone got together and just did minor things it would totally make a difference. If you want to learn more about how you can help and just how damaging your lifestyle is to the environment, go to www.ecologicalfootprint.org and take the test! WE CAN DO IT!!!