Spring Greenfest 2019

Spring Greenfest 2019 will feature a week of activities March 30-April 6. Greenfest is a semiannual series held on the campus of UNC Asheville in March and September that celebrates sustainability, students and community. Spring Greenfest is hosted by the Student Government Association and the Student Environmental Center (SEC). The theme for this semester’s Greenfest is “Growing Together.”

Saturday, March 30

• Off-Campus Workday: Invasive Species Removal – Remove invasive plants, cut back vegetation so that wildflowers can be planted, remove sediment buildup in the wetlands and clean up foreign debris. Sponsored by the UNC Asheville student organization, Active Students for Healthy Environment (ASHE) and community partner RiverLink. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Malvern Hills Park, off of Sulphur Springs Rd., West Asheville. Transportation to the park from campus will depart from the front of Brown Hall. Register online to participate.
• Roots Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Roots Garden can be accessed from W.T. Weaver Boulevard, near the intersection of Merrimon Ave. Contact secgardens@unca.edu with location questions.

Sunday, March 31

• Castanea Edible Forest Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 1-4 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Castanea Garden is adjacent to the Sam Millar Complex across from the Sherrill Center on campus.
• Sol Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 3:30-6:30 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Sol Garden is behind Brown Hall on campus.

Monday, April 1

• Roots Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Roots Garden can be accessed from W.T. Weaver Boulevard, near the intersection of Merrimon Ave. Contact secgardens@unca.edu with location questions.
• Kick Gas Documentary Screening – Kick Gas follows eight electric vehicle enthusiasts as they traveled in different kinds of electrically powered vehicles from the coast of South Carolina to Google headquarters in California. The screening is sponsored by the Blue Ridge EV Club. 6:30 p.m., Highsmith Student Union Grotto.

Tuesday, April 2

• Vegan DIY Workshop – UNC Asheville’s student Vegan Club will host this workshop teaching how to create sustainable, plant based, cruelty free, low-waste laundry detergent, face mask, and body scrub. Ingredients and containers will be supplied. Noon-1 p.m. in the Glass House adjacent to Ramsey Library on campus. Register online for this workshop.
• Eating for the Environment: A Conversation Around Plant-Based Diets – This event will begin with a short lecture before an open discussion about corporate factory farming’s impact on migrant workers, minorities, animals, our society, and the planet. Presented by ASHE and UNC Asheville’s Food Equity Initiative. 5-7:30 p.m., Brown Hall room 217.

Wednesday, April 3

• Ramsey Seed Library Table – Information about seed saving and lending courtesy of Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener volunteers and Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library. 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Ramsey Library Lobby.
• Climate Justice Panel – This dialogue about Asheville’s impact on climate and the climate’s impact on us, sponsored by the SEC, will cover topics including Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order addressing climate action, and the impact that climate change has on communities of color. Panelists will include Amber Weaver, the City of Asheville’s chief sustainability officer. 6-8 p.m., Highsmith Student Union Grotto.

Thursday, April 4

• Bird-Watching Walk – UNC Asheville’s Audubon Student Chapter will guide this on-campus walk; binoculars will be provided. 9:30-10:30 a.m.; meet in front of the Rhoades Tower Atrium.
  Register online for this event.
• On-Campus Workday – A variety of duties will include digging in the dirt and restocking the Bee Hotel. Duties will be assigned for each one-hour shift. Participants will receive a t-shirt courtesy of UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Please report to the front of Brown Hall for your shift, and register online to participate.

Friday, April 5

• Seed Bomb Workshop –  Learn how to make ready-to-sow bundles of native wildflower seeds and come away with pre-made seed bombs – an easy method of gardening in urban spaces. 11 a.m.-noon, Sol Garden, located behind Brown Hall.
  Divest Pipeline Demonstration – The UNC Asheville student organization, UNCA Divest, will provide information about divestment from fossil fuels and student activism. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Quad; rain location is the Rhoades Tower Atrium.
• Electric Vehicle (EV) Show – Members of the Blue Ridge EV Club and local businesses will display electric vehicles including electric bicycles and landscaping tools. 2-4 p.m., Wellness Way, near the UNC Asheville Bulldog Statue.
• Sol Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 4-6 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Sol Garden is behind Brown Hall on campus.

Saturday, April 6th

• Roots Garden Workday – Prepare the garden for the incoming summer. Hosted by UNC Asheville’s SEC. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. UNC Asheville’s Roots Garden can be accessed from W.T. Weaver Boulevard, near the intersection of Merrimon Ave. Contact secgardens@unca.edu with location questions.

Additional activities just for UNC Asheville students are also part of Greenfest. For more information about Spring Greenfest 2019, visit the Greenfest web page or email secgardens@unca.ed.