Environmental Awareness Organization (EAO) of Auburn University hosted Earthfest in the Donald E. Davis Arboretum on Saturday, April 25, 2015.
Garrett Kizer, EAO president and senior in professional and public writing, said the main goal of the EAO is to create an “air of environmental sustainability” on and off campus. He said they found the best results from organizing smaller speaking events in the fall and by hosting Earthfest in the spring.
Kizer said they had eighteen bands last year that attracted a crowd of approximately 1,300 people.
“So we definitely get the crowd that we need,” Kizer said.
Lady Legs, Hiding Fletcher, Sam Street Band, Captain Kudzu and Red River Bend were a few of the performances who played at this year’s Earthfest.
“I think it is a cool event,” said Kaitlyn Manguel, senior in accounting. “I like that they have bands playing.”
Eva Lutter, senior in marketing, said she has attended Earthfest for two years and said it’s a good family event.
Lutter said this year’s Earthfest is smaller in size, but appears to be better organized.
“While everyone is sitting around listening to bands, wondering around the arboretum, we just throw sustainability at them in every way that we can,” said Kizer.
They accomplish this by bringing in exhibitions from other environmental groups, having people speak between acts and allowing fair trade coffee shops and people selling homemade crafts for fundraising to have tables.
Amanda White, naturalist at Chewacla State Park, spoke between acts. White said 22 state parks across Alabama are in danger of being shut down because of a budget crisis. While, currently, Chewacla isn’t at risk, White encouraged the audience to become involved with the legislature to make sure they vote to support the park system and not make budget cuts.
“This isn’t a business, this is a public service that we provide to you for recreation, for education, just for piece and mind that getting out in nature and having this available to you,” White said.
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