Cal Poly will host its first Sustainability Festival on Thursday, Oct. 27, at Mott Lawn from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is hosting this event in honor of national Campus Sustainability Month.
The event is a step toward raising awareness for Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong’s promise to achieve “net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and achieve 80 percent waste diversion by 2020” as introduced at the beginning of 2016, ASI Secretary of Sustainability and Transportation Shelby Thomas said in an emailed statement to Mustang News.
“Many students do not realize that we have a handful of groups on campus that promote sustainability,” Thomas, a kinesiology sophomore, said. “ASI wants to highlight these clubs and organizations so that the student body can be educated on how to get involved with this movement.”
Students can expect to see Cal Poly’s sustainability clubs such as the Green Campus Program, Net Impact and International Student Volunteers Club, set up on Mott Lawn.
Similar to the previous school-wide club showcase held last month, these clubs will also be recruiting members for the school year.
Free veggie burgers and giveaways will also accompany the Sustainability Festival.
“Students can ask questions on how to be more sustainable in their college lifestyle, which is one of the hardest things to [achieve],” ASI Chief of Staff Anthony Haddad said.
The Sustainability Festival comes under the new leadership of ASI President Jana Colombini. She is the first to appoint a Secretary of Sustainability and Transportation to her executive cabinet.
Thomas will be responsible for organizing future events aimed at promoting environmental advocacy and education across campus, furthering Colombini’s efforts to engage the student body in progressing toward a Zero Waste campus.