The Student Environmental Activists (SEA) hosted a Green Carnival in the Gilman Atrium on Thursday, Nov. 17. The Carnival featured a variety of different eco-themed activities including eco-friendly crafts, an item exchange named the "Free Store," games and food.
"The initial purpose was to host a fun event that would remind and educate people about intergrating sustainability in their lives in a way that was both interactive and enjoyable. (not that sustainability isn't already enjoyable!) Another purpose, however, was to promote a little bit of activism – we will be petitioning for offshore wind power in Maryland," Thalia Patrinos, one of the organizers of the event wrote in an e-mail to The News-Letter.
There was an eco-friendly crafts table where attendees could make everything from recycled cardboard picture frames to used paper bag holiday wreaths. At the "Free Store" people could bring their unwanted clutter and exchange it for something else. There were also environmental education games, free food and t-shirts for sale, as well as posters lining the atrium reminding and informing attendees on how to be more eco-friendly
The petition was done in photo form. A piece of cardboard reading: "The students of Johns Hopkins University support offshore wind power in Maryland" was passed between attendees, who then posed for a picture while holding it. The petition will first go to President Ron Daniels, who SEA hopes will then take it to higher powers.
"People against offshore wind say the universities don't want it, so we made this petition to hopefully change that," Joni Sliger, a member of SEA, said. "Senator [Catherine] Pugh [of Maryland] is one of the members of Congress who is undecided on this issue, so we especially need to take a stand and convince her that offshore wind power is worth pursuing."
The event caught the eyes of a few passers-by.
"I was on my way to class and saw [the Carnival] so I decided to check it out. I'm really glad I did, I really learned a lot. The cause they're supporting sounds really interesting and I definitely want to look into it more" junior Wiebke Blaszcyk said. "Obviously the environment is worth protecting, so I'm glad that they're doing this."
Freshman Dave Berenato agrees.
"I think this was a really fun way of raising awareness for their cause. The photo petition was especially intriguing. I've never heard of that before and I'm curious how it will all play out," says Berenato.
SEA hopes that the event increased its overall presence on campus and made students more aware.
"We hope that more people who haven't heard of SEA learned about us and join us. We also hope it will provide a base for a sharing of ideas, and a comfortable place for people to ask about environmentalism and sustainability while making eco-crafts and playing fun games," Patrinos wrote.
