Spring Greenfest 2018

By Nikolai Wise ‘21

UNC Asheville’s Greenfest Spring 2018 kicks off with a keynote speech by travel writers Audrey and Frank Peterman, authors of Legacy on the Land and Our True Nature. Their expertise and experience on the invisible color barriers they discovered while traveling throughout national parks system will introduce the theme of “Breaking Barriers and Building Community: Committing to an Intersectional and Accessible Sustainability Movement.”

“The goal for our events is to demonstrate and dissect the interconnectivity of identity and status within movements,” said Maggie Clerkin, the executive of sustainability and wellness in the Student Government Association (SGA).

“Green movements in general have a long history of elitism and exclusivity. Sustainable practices can cost a person a lot of money and time. This limits what a movement can actually achieve,” Clerkin said. “It is important to break the barriers that prevent people from engaging in green movements. Breaking these barriers will promote the integration of sustainability into existing communities.”

Following the Peterman’s talk, “All Hands on Deck,” at 7 p.m. Monday in the Humanities Lecture Hall, Greenfest will offer a series of sustainably-oriented and related events, including a focus on electric vehicles.

The Blue Ridge Electric Vehicle Club will be hosting three events, starting with an electric vehicle cruise on the Blue Ridge Parkway from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday,

March 24. Registration is required. The second is a screening of the documentary EVOLVE: Driving a Clean Future in Coal Country at 7 p.m. in Rhoades Robinson Hall, Room 125. The third is an Electric Vehicle Show and Tell in Parking Lot P19 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday, March 30.

Greenfest will close on Saturday, March 31, with an off-campus work day, sponsored by Active Student for a Healthy Environment in partnership with Energy Saver’s Network. Volunteers will visit homes and install energy efficient additions such as lightbulbs, storm windows and wrapping pipes.

“This year we are hosting events that we hope will draw out students who have not participated in Greenfest events in the past,” Clerkin said. “For example, we are having a DIY Home and Body Care night, an outdoor celebration with a cookout, music, and crafts, and several smaller events that focus on food.”

Spring Greenfest 2018 is the result of the combined effort of SGA and the Student Environmental Center (SEC), which is dedicated to promoting sustainability and raising awareness for environmental issues on campus for all students from all walks of life. Tyler Hill, an SGA student senator and co-director of the SEC provides insight about the importance of Greenfest from both of the large student organizations.

“It brings sustainable initiatives to the individuals in different ways that they might not have been brought to them before,” Hill said. “I think most importantly it focuses on building community.”

For more information and the complete schedule, visit https://sustainability.unca.edu/spring-greenfest-2018.

2018-03-16