On April 16, Arizona Western College hosted the annual Sustainability Fair in the grassy area next to the Learning Resources building, to promote the importance of our environment.
The event was free and open to the community. Many tables were set up, each with vital information regarding on how to make Earth more clean.
The event was not only for adults, but young ones as well. AWC’s Child Development Learning Lab staff took the kids out to explore the Fair.
“We brought the kids out here so they can be entertained and informed,” said CDLL volunteer Fryssia Silva. “It’s good for them to learn to recycle at a young age.”
Several AWC clubs also got the chance to make it out and promote both their club and ways to make Earth a better planet. New clubs such as TASC (Transfer Academic Service Club) were giving away balloons and Minion pencil holders that they made themselves using recycled toilet paper tubes.
Clubs such as Math Club and SOTE had games going on at their table. The Math Club had a Spin-a-Prize wheel where participants had to answer anything from simple to tough math problems. S.O.T.E. had a couple of piñatas for kids to hit and also the opportunity to toss trash at a bucket using recycled paper. The main point was to show that basic things such as paper can be recycled and put to good use.
“Our club is here to promote sustainability,” explains SOTE member Luis Valencia. “We like that people get involved with events such as this one because it shows that people really care about the environment.”
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) made a presence by giving out significant information about not only our environment but also our health.
ADEQ members gave out interesting facts about the human body such as that the average American breathes about 3,400 gallon of air in 20,000 breaths each day, and asthma that is the most common chronic illness in children and the cause of most school absences. ADEQ’s goal was to inform the crowd that pollution affects not only the atmosphere but also our health.
Other important information ADEQ shared was about the use of “gray water” at home. Gray water is simply defined as wastewater, collected separately from sewage flow, that originates from a clothes washer, bathtub, shower or bathroom sink, but not from a kitchen sink, dishwasher or toilet. According to the ADEQ, in order to use gray water at home, people need to follow basic requirements, and gray water can only be used for drip or flood irrigation.
Another display that grabbed the crowd’s attention was the process of making recycled paper.
“The process is very simple,” says Jaime Sanchez. “Find old paper, dip it into warm water, add baking soda, and leave it out in the sun for about an hour. Then iron the dried paper on low, make sure the iron is not too hot. Do this for three minutes, and leave the paper in the sun for a moment. The paper should be ready by then.”
Overall, this year’s Sustainability Fair was one for the books indeed.
