Undeterred by rainy skies, community members from Morningside Heights, Harlem and the greater New York City area flocked to Teachers College on Sunday, April 25 to celebrate the College’s Second Annual Rockin’ Earth Day Festival. The event, which was moved inside to the first and second floors of Horace Mann, featured programming designed to raise awareness about sustainable living, including eco-friendly vendors, organic and local foods, a Wellness Center with yoga and meditation offerings, and gardening and composting with TC’s Colin Schumaker, a teacher at the Rita Gold Center and an M.A. candidate in Inclusive Elementary Education.

In the hallways, Go Green Committee members greeted attendees, distributing locally grown apples donated by West Side Market, chlorine-free tampons and organic laundry detergent donated by Seventh Generation, and Rockin’ Earth Day eco-wristbands made from 100 percent recycled silicone. Environment-ally friendly food and drink vendors, such as GuS Soda and Raw Soul, distributed samples of their products. Chefs Laura Dardi of Sacred Chow and Matt Tivy of Café du Soleil also served up organic meals.

 

In the bustling Go Green Arts Initiative room, attendees experimented with sustainable-themed creative projects, such as making sculptures built from used computer parts, knitting with plastic bags, and making (and playing) musical instruments fashioned from recycled materials. Artist and activist Xenobia Bailey performed puppet theater, using recycled goods at the Recycled Arts-of-Jubilation table.

 

Additional eco-friendly activities included examining tortoise shells with the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation; and trying on life jackets with East River C.R.E.W. (Community Recreation & Education on the Water), a non-profit advocate for appreciation and stewardship of the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary.

 

Throughout the day in TC’s Cowin Center, attendees were treated to the musical stylings of Ayo Awosika, a classically-trained jazz vocalist; Greg Holden, an acoustic singer and guitarist; Autodrone, an alternative rock band; Great Big Planes, a rock/pop band; Shokazoba, a 10-member afrobeat ensemble; and headliner band Urban Sun, which  brought the audience to its feet.

 

For more highlights from this year’s event, please visit http://blogs.tc.columbia.edu/gogreen/ . To get involved with the Go Green Committee, please contact gogreentc@gmail.com .