April 22, 2010

For the past several days, the University of Virginia has been holding a series of events to celebrate Earth Week, all culminating Thursday with Earth Day.

Some of the events going on today include an Eco-Market at the amphitheater.

"Coming to events like this, I always find out new things that people are doing and new efforts," Teri Kent from Better World Betty said. "It's just a real collective experience."

The Eco-Market was a farmers market featuring green businesses, conservation societies and local food vendors. Just across grounds was the Sustainability Extravaganza at Newcomb Plaza, a collection of various sustainability groups from UVa. and the Charlottesville community.

"So much of the time, I don't get to talk face to face with people, and that's where real change happens," Kent said. "It's talking and saying, 'Hey, can you do something for the earth today?'" Kent said.

Charlottesville residents and UVa. students all have different thoughts on the most important environmental issues that have an impact on the community.

"I'd say what's impacting UVa. is just all of the paper waste I see that could be really cut down, on and the amount of recycling that should be happening," said Altaire Cambata, a UVa third-year student.

"It's about consumption, it's about water use, it's about conservation of energy," Kent said.

"I think our biggest thing is recycling, so that's mainly what we're doing here," Anjali Patel, a UVa. first-year, said. "There is a table for reusing supplies and telling people what things they can recycle, which is a lot of things."

The hope is that through events like this, the public can become more conservation minded and take a small step to a greener lifestyle.

"I think Earth Day is more about getting in touch with the land, thanking it and being so grateful and remembering that connection and how we are totally dependent on it," Cambata said.

The Earth Day events at UVa. will finish Thursday night with a "Farm-to-Fork" dinner and a Campus Consciousness concert featuring Ben Harper and the Relentless 7.