Mukta Pillai
Science Editor
On Friday, Sept. 27, the Office of Sustainability hosted Party for the Planet, an intended outdoor festival promoting environmental consciousness. Not even the rain could stop this party, as individuals trekked through rain to join the festivities at The Alley. “I walked through the rain to get to Party for the Planet. Even though it was moved inside, I still had a good time,” expressed Alex Markland ’26.
The festival had a multitude of booths, including non-profit groups in Wooster, student-led booths and a pop-up shop from Waste Free Wooster. The main point of the festival was to promote environmental consciousness on campus.
Two of the booths focused on eliminating the use of single-use plastics, detailing the College’s enlistment of the Reuzzi app. One station incentivized students to download the application by allowing them to build and take home their own flower bouquets with Reuzzi cups. Students were encouraged to continue utilizing the new reusable container initiative or start in case they had missed out on the app previously.
“I’m very happy to see the culture of this school changing,” Kenzie Morris ’25, an intern for the Office of Sustainability, said. “I didn’t know that so many people cared about sustainability from different disciplines.”
Another popular booth at the event was the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) table. CCL is a nonprofit and non-partisan organization dedicated to lobbying for pro-environmental legislation.
“What we’re focusing on right now is promoting the passage of a bill that would help speed up the permitting process of clean energy,” David Gillespie, a volunteer at the event, said. “That would mainly be [used to] get new transmission lines from wind-generated and solar-powered projects that may not be near population centers.”
In addition to lobbying for green legislation, CCL is focused on promoting conversation around solutions for climate change. The organization has chapters across the country and aims to grow its Wooster chapter with the help of student and community volunteers.
Beyond learning about environmental issues and policy, Party for the Planet offered its visitors snacks to sustain them through the event at the green cooking table. Featuring a variety of plant-based dishes, the table encouraged students to taste-test new recipes. The volunteers at this table let students experiment with these plant-based snacks and encouraged them to replace many dishes centered around meat. According to booth volunteers, meat production and consumption have a substantial carbon footprint, while plant-based diets have a more minor environmental impact.
A new addition to the event this year was the pop-up shop selling zero waste items. Waste Free Wooster is a mobile refillery that specializes in nontoxic items, ranging from natural toothpaste to natural deodorant. The small business takes pride in selling items that are good for the environment, promoting personal wellness and reducing packaging waste that is often the issue with commercial products.
When items run out of product, Waste Free Wooster employees come to individual’s residences to refill the empty containers, promoting zero waste by helping individuals reuse old bottles instead of buying new.
Party for the Planet encouraged student engagement in the Office of Sustainability’s initiatives and encouraged them to learn more about how to get involved on campus.
“I feel that it went pretty well — it was pretty busy until the end,” said Celeste Probart ’27, a volunteer for the event. “I felt like it was a good way for people who don’t know too much about sustainability to learn about how to be environmentally conscious.”
To hear more about sustainability on campus, email bwebb@wooster.edu or go to a Green Scots meeting, located every other Monday in Longbrake Commons.