Created in 1970, Earth Day was designed as a day for worldwide partnership in protecting the environment. On April 22 here at Hamline, students and groups did their part to add a little green back into the frost-bitten Minnesota tundra.

Signs posted in the Heights invited students to “come plant a plant” in the Schilling lounge, but Hamline students didn’t have to wait for Earth Day or even Earth Week to start beautifying their local environment. On Tuesday, April 14, Better Together teamed up with MPIRG (Minnesota Public Interest Research Group) to clean up Snelling Avenue. Eleven students and Nur Mood, the staff supervisor of Better Together and a staff member of the Wesley Center, walked all the way to University Avenue and back, picking up trash along the side of the road.

Sophomore Anthony Bridges heard about the opportunity through a leader from his Catalyst Spring Break trip and said the experience was a positive one. “It felt good to visibly make a difference,” he said. And their efforts didn’t go unnoticed–according to him,“a few cars honked and gave thumbs up.”

Community service is an integral element of all Better Together events. Member of the Better Together leadership team and Hamline senior Amber Todd stated in an email that “the idea is that through acting on our common values we can make the world a better place, hence the idea that we are better together.”

The success of this year’s Snelling clean-up was also due to a partnership with MPIRG’s Environmental Task Force, who helped get the word out about the event. MPIRG hosted their own Earth Day events, including having a table set up in Anderson. According to Katie Jerome, one of MPIRG’s Environmental Task Force leaders, their focus was on reducing disposable water bottle usage, a big source of waste on college campuses. MPIRG currently has a reusable water bottle project in the works, featuring the design of a Hamline student.

Dining Services had their own celebration. A booth set up in the cafeteria offered earth-themed sugar cookies for Hamline students who signed their name pledging to more earth-friendly practices. Examples ranged from “Walk, bike, or take public transportation” to “Turn off lights and unplug charger.”

Earth Day also saw the launch of CGEE’s Sustainable Commons blog. Including topics such as “sustainable energy and transportation,” “environmental and science education,” and “water and watersheds,” the blog seeks to inform the community, and invites them to contribute to the conversation.

To find out more about the Better Together Campaign, visit ifyc.org

To find out more about Hamline’s MPIRG chapter, visit https://hampirg.wordpress.com/

To find out more about the Sustainable Commons blog, visit http://sustainablecommons.blogspot.com/Amber Osmonson