On Wednesday, a UCLA campus event called Sustainival was held in Sunset Village to promote all things sustainable.
The event lasted two hours and was held from 7 – 9 p.m. With loads of activities, organizations and performances, activity levels remained constant throughout the night. As students neared the event space, posters directed them to sign in. Along with this, students could participate in a raffle system by filling out a form that was referred to as a “passport.” This passport required students to visit four different organization booths, where they received a code word. Doing such a task granted an automatic entry into one of the four raffles of the night. To incentivize participation, prizes such as a Yeti water bottle, reusable dinner sets, a Smiski and a Lego flower were at stake. Ironically, one of the winners was a part of the sustainability green team.
Justice Hudson, a second-year biology student, said, “It was not rigged.”
The excitement continued with a plethora of organizations in attendance, such as Bruin Dine, Environmental Student Network, Swipe Out Hunger, Student Wellness Commission Earth, UCLA Volunteer Center, USAC Facilities Commission Sustainagoals, The Green Initiative Fund, Good Clothes Good People, Clawsome, the Sustainability Living Learning Community, the Makerspace and the California Public Interest Research Group. By hosting these organizations, the event was able to gain traction and remain influential. The different organizations were able to preserve their individual autonomous messages while coinciding with the overarching message of sustainability. Along with supplying informational displays, some also had interactive activities. For example, the Makerspace had tabling and an upcycling and clothing swap for people to participate in. Additionally, CALPIRG had a trivia wheel with facts about bees, forests and sustainability, along with a bowl of candy. The members running these tables also noticed a difference of community in this event.
Committee head of Swipe Out Hunger Reese Martin, a third-year psychology and disability studies student, said, “I really like events like this because I feel like the people who come are engaged and really want to learn.”
Such a statement provides insight into how these events on campus bring about and foster community growth and student involvement. Sustainival is more than just a stop-by event, instead offering students the opportunity to pause and reflect.
Ashlyn Sze, a second-year cognitive science student and the director of sustainability for the event, said, “We are here to show you that there is a very easy way to do it, incorporating daily habits in your lives one by one, and all of the organizations have something unique and different about their mission.”
By stating the long-term goal of maintaining a sustainable lifestyle and implementing small changes in one’s life, a big change can be made. This being said, the importance of both practice and mindset was intended to be highlighted at this event. Whether it is saving on paper towel usage or not discarding mass amounts of salvageable food at the dining halls, students can apply this information in various ways.
To continue with the theme of everyday sustainability, tables of crafts were also available. Activities such as bag charm making, succulent pot painting and seed paper art were set up. Everything at this event was catered back to its overall purpose, as seen through these crafts. Moreover, bag charm making allows people to get hands-on and make their own accessories, succulents are low-maintenance and good air filters and seed paper art spreads the message of art and life growth.
After asking Zoe Sutliff, a third-year psychology student, about her time at the event, she said, “I learned that there are plants that can grow from paper, that was really cool. I also learned that they have crafting stations on campus, which is nice to know as a creative type.”
Sutliff’s statement shows how effective Sustainival was in implementing its message in an enticing way.
Further grappling with student engagement and connecting with other campus voices, the event featured a variety of performances. Performances by a cappella groups like the YOUTHphonics and On That Note A Cappella kicked off the event with their motor skills. Later on, the Last Minutes band pleased the crowd and concluded the event with a cover of the song “Everybody Talks.” These diverse performances were intentionally booked by Team Green for the event to maintain an upbeat momentum.
Every quarter, Team Green hosts an event, and Sustainival has proven to be one of the most emphasized. As years progressed, Team Green made efforts to reevaluate their methods of organization as well. Compared to previous years, they made sure to switch from paper to digital modes of communication. It is important to see how sustainability groups are navigating through a world with constantly changing technology and norms. At Sustainival, the continuation of preserving and providing awareness to sustainability was spread to students in a thoughtful and engaging manner.
Featured Image Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife
