On April 20, 5C Earth Week events will culminate in the eighth annual Scripps Sustainability Fair. Newly expanded for this year, the event brings student clubs and programs across the 5Cs together with local organizations to celebrate our connection to Earth and one another. The fair will be presented in two parts—day and evening—and will take place on Bowling Green.
The fair will kick off at 11:00 a.m. with educational and interactive booths run by 5C and community organizations that will offer information on sustainability issues, such as energy conservation, recycling, social equity, and food production. There will be free chair massages to highlight integrative health and wellness practices, and lawn games to foster community through lighthearted fun.
The evening program will feature local vendors of handmade goods, the Coolhaus ice cream truck, work by the Eclectic Roots Art Collective, and live music with a sustainability focus. Beginning at 8:30 p.m., Coolhaus will cater the event for an hour, giving away free ice cream sandwiches in edible wrappers to the first 150 attendees (vegan and gluten-free options will be available). Other highlights will include upcycled installations, art making, and interactive work by Upland-based artist collective Eclectic Roots, and musical performances by XinXin, Moon Ensemble, and Daydream Time Machine.
“This year’s fair is about collaboration and participation—we want to bring people together to explore sustainability in new ways,” explains Tiffany Ortamond, Scripps’ sustainability coordinator. “When people think about sustainability, they might think of reducing power or composting, but not of emergency operations or building social equity. We want to provide students with the resources and tools to understand all of the integral parts.”
Ultimately, the event organizers hope to build community and catalyze student initiatives aimed at building a culture of sustainability at Scripps and beyond. The community focus of the event began even in its planning stages, during which clubs, organizations, and offices at Scripps came together with other Claremont College and community organizations to collaborate on programming. Scripps’ Sustainability Committee, Dean of Students Office, SAS, Scripps Food Recovery Network, and SEED Club are co-sponsors of the event.