Stuyvesant Goes Green With Its Annual Earth Day Fair

The Stuyvesant Environmental Club (SEC) held an Earth Day Fair on April 24 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. This event is held annually in order to promote awareness about and encourage care for the environment, while also allowing students and staff to partake in an enjoyable activity.

This year, there were 15 different stations, including interactive crafts such as face painting, photo props, carnival games, and music videos, as well as educational opportunities like petition letter writing, eco-website exploration, activism, and legislation. Several club members were put in charge of managing the stations. SEC also collaborated with five other clubs during the fair. “Stuyvesant Coral Reef Club had a water testing station where people measured the salinity, nitrate, pH levels, and more of the seventh-floor fish tanks; Upstuycle hosted a recycled fabric keychain and clothing design sewing station; Stuygi presented how to grow mushrooms; and Stuy[Sips] presented on sustainable drink containers and upcycling them,” senior and SEC Secretary Joline Huang said.

One club that helped bring this event to life was Stuygi, which was formed earlier this year by its current president, senior Joshua Moe. “It was great to see all of the kids who were interested in saving the environment, or who were here to get extra credit. I was really able to connect with them and share my love of fungi with them. I have not been to any previous Earth Day events, but I really feel like this one set a precedent for just how lively the atmosphere was,” Moe said. “We’re the generation that’s going to be hit the hardest by climate change, so we’re also going to be the generation that has to save the world. Without us, there isn’t much hope left.”

A new aspect of this year’s fair was the sale of custom Stuyvesant water bottles. Sold for $3 each, the bottles were meant to encourage students to stay hydrated. “[The water bottles] have a design on the front of a tree with branches encompassing the Stuy Enviro Club, and on the back, there’s a stress meter. It’s fun to read. The point of the meter was so that the highest level was the one with the most stress, and as you drink more water you become less stressed,” sophomore and SEC Co-Director Jessie Chan said.

When asked about some of the major challenges surrounding the fair, Huang pointed to time management. “Due to a lack of communication or inactiveness among leaders, we were very pressed for time and started a lot later than we would’ve liked,” Chan said. “Next year, I highly recommend future leaders to start earlier and delegate tasks more efficiently to avoid the stress.”

In addition, some would have liked to see improvement in the spatial issues experienced. “[They should have] made a route for the students to travel down to see all of the tables. A few of the stands were tucked behind others and not many people saw them,” Moe said.

Despite these challenges, the fair seems to have been generally considered a success. Around 350 students participated, and the water bottles, plant containers, and food had already run out by the end of the first hour. “I was really worried it wasn’t going to work out, but it was uplifting to see the majority of us come together to pull off such a large event. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend people to come again,” Huang said.

Other club members also share the same sentiment, reflecting on their experience as a positive one. “I really enjoyed spending time going around with my friends and fooling around at the stations while also learning a lot of new information,” Chan said. “The fair is a really special opportunity to be able to socialize and have fun [...] so I’m really glad for the experience.”