Only good vibes could be found at the DU Programming Board’s “Good Chives Only (Just Add Water)” Earth Day event. The event, taking place on Thursday, Apr. 21, from 2:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. on the Carnegie Green, was an interactive celebration of Earth Day and an advancement of the university’s Earth Day of “DU-ing” mission.
Julia Paul, co-Chair of DUPB’s Explorations Committee, which helped develop and manage the event, said that “Good Chives Only” was “centered around bringing in Earth Day as a community.” The goal, she added, was to “bring the student body together for an outdoor activity that anyone and everyone could participate in [and] celebrate Earth Day by providing students with the resources to live more sustainable lives.”
Plant pots, chive seeds and water bottles were handed out, and participants had the opportunity to plant their own chive seeds, decorate their pots and walk away with cool stickers and plenty of UV rays on what was a bright, sunny afternoon; fitting for a celebration of our planet.
“We planted our own herb gardens to promote sustainable eating and cooking and gave away Nalgenes to promote reusable products,” Paul added.
“I think that my favorite part of the event, and of most events we put on, is seeing people meet new friends through our activities,” said Daly Carlson, co-Chair of DUPB’s Explorations Committee. “I also love when people show interest in DUPB and are excited to have something planned for students by students. Though I also love going to events, it’s very rewarding to see the impact we have on campus,” she added.
When asked about the planning that went into this year’s Earth Day celebration, Carlson said, “We started planning this event back in Winter Quarter. For this particular event, we were not only working with another committee within DUPB, but we partnered with another Registered Student Organization, the Student Foundation. I always like to have extra time when working with other groups to allow for a smooth transition, planning and opportunity for everyone to share their ideas.”
Carlson referred to the event’s partnership with DU’s Student Foundation, a student organization that identifies areas of student need, from food insecurity to access to health and counseling services, addressing student needs through contributions of time and money and connecting people and initiatives at DU.
In speaking on the supplies and volunteer effort, Carlson added, “Since this event didn’t have much in terms of outside components, such as vendors, we just had to order our supplies ahead of time. In order to do this, we get together with the committee to compile a list of the supplies that we don’t already have. In this case, we already had paint and craft supplies, so we ordered the seeds, soil and pots. Finally, we coordinated with DU to get the tables set up and event space reserved before reaching out to the organization for volunteers.”
Tables lathered with paint, spilt soil and the congregation of friends and strangers were all one had to see to be assured of the event’s success.
