Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier asst. arts and living editor
This past Saturday, the Berry Eco Club hosted its annual Eco Fair in the Krannert Ballroom. The Eco Fair educates students on pressing environmental issues by bringing together a community of environmentally conscious people. Environmentally friendly vendors, organizations and clubs gathered to discuss different environmental issues including the importance of sustainable practices, proper recycling, biodiversity loss and electronic waste. The Eco Fair welcomed a diverse group of participants including Georgia Power, Berry Bees, Moriah Services, Home Thrown Pots, the ABC Project and BOLD. Berry Senior and co-president of the Eco Club, Emily Hand, shared how she hopes Berry students responded to the Eco Fair.
“I really hope that people came to learn and figure out what is going on in their environment,” Hand said. “A lot of the issue is that people don’t know what’s happening. I hope people take what they learned and consider recycling more or doing other things to be more sustainable.”
At the Eco Fair, Berry students could bring one recyclable item to enter a raffle or participate in another fun activity. The Eco Fair’s activities inspired attendees to actively seek out information from the participating groups. Sophomore Emily Conaway shared what students had to do to earn a raffle ticket.
“It was an interesting raffle because it was a bingo raffle,” Conaway said. “So, you had to go around and answer questions from each of the booths and then turn it in to enter the raffle. Every group had a question that was answered in it.”
Along with educational groups, there were also environmentally friendly vendors selling their products at the Eco Fair. The Berry Bees produce a range of natural products that are made in an environmentally friendly way that benefits the bees and the customers. Dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for bee populations, this organization uses beekeeping practices that take a bee-centered approach. Since 2014, their hives have housed both domestic and wild bees, employing methods that ensure the highest quality honey and wax. Their products include lotions bars, lip balms, cuticle cream and candles.
Junior Katrina Bobson, an environmental science and studies major, brought her small business, Home Thrown Pots, to the Eco Fair. Bobson’s love for ceramics began in middle school, and she further honed her skills in Professor Ritter’s ceramics class during her sophomore year. Inspired, she started creating additional pieces in her free time, eventually deciding to sell them at the Spring Market. Her small business grew from there and now she sells her work at the Shipyard and on her Instagram account @home_thrown_pots. Bobson shared her inspiration behind her work.
“I just really love to share my love of ceramics,” Bobson said. “I want other people to fall in love with ceramics as well. So, I’d rather teach them about it so they can be more knowledgeable in the future and just share the love that I have for ceramics.”
The Berry College ceramics studio practices sustainability by reusing their plastic bags, buckets and other plastic wear. They also reclaim their clay to be used again in other future projects. To do this, clay scraps are collected from leftover throwing projects and trimmings. Then, they are broken down and placed in a bin with water to be mixed. After that, the clay is kneaded and allowed to rest before being ready for use again.
The Eco Club has implemented a range of initiatives to promote sustainability at Berry College. The Eco Club partnered with the dining committee from the Student Government Association (SGA) to implement reusable to-go boxes in the dining hall last year. Sophomore Mykelle Patterson, an environmental science major and Eco Club member, launched a program this year that diverts leftover produce from the dining hall’s salad bar to a local farm for animal feed. The Eco Club also hosts monthly clean-ups to help pick up litter around Berry campus and the Rome Community.