Oregon State University continues the two week long ‘Beyond Earth Day’ celebration in honor of encouraging holistic sustainability.

OSU provides several different ways to get involved this Earth Day, according to Andrea Norris, the marketing and development director of campus recycling.

“Beyond Earth Day is a two week long set of events that promote holistic sustainability that target our community,” Norris said.

Norris explined the importance and meaning behind holistic sustainability.

“Holistic sustainability means not simply focusing on environmental sustainability,” Norris said. “We are also looking at economic and social issues, for example social justice and equality as well as economics.”

These earth day celebrations have happened on campus for decades and have increased in size and length over time according to Norris.

“OSU has been celebrating Earth Day since the early 2000’s,” Norris said. “It originally began as a week long celebration, but we had so many organizations on campus that work on sustainability that we changed it to beyond earth day to host more events and better recognize that the celebration lasts more than one day and promotes well rounded sustainability.”

Norris explained the events that students faculty members and the corvallis community can participate in.

“On earth day itself there is two main events,” Norris said. “We have the annual HOOHAH and a sale at the OSUsed store. We also have more events through April 29.”

Abigail Findley, a soil science major and the secretary of the organic growers club, spoke about the sixteenth annual HOOHAH event that will take place on Friday.

“The mission of the event is to provide OSU students, staff and corvallis residents an opportunity to plant onions, listen to live music, and talk about food system sand organic farming,” Findley said.

The organic growers club is a facility on campus that provides hands on learning experience about organic farming to those who are interested or would not usually have the chance to, and encourage them to work together on projects and farming, according to Findley.

The club also grows and sells vegetables at a market sale and promotes more sustainability on campus.

Findley encouraged people to attend the event at the OSU grower’s club farm to get hands on learning experience.

“The people who come visit will learn a lot about a holistic system of farming,” Findley said. “The can put their hands in the soil and plant seeds, and really get the image and experience that they are connected to the earth and their own food systems.”

Supporting sustainable farms and is an important larger scale issue according to Findley.

“Supporting a holistic system of farming mall you be a more conscious consumer,” Findley said. “It is important to help our local farmers.”

Findley explained how to attend the event and invited students to attend and learn more.

“Everyone should come out to the farm,” Findley said. “There will be busses that leave at 3:30 p.m. that leave from the OSU bookstore, and people can come out to meet other soil and farming fanatics and celebrate the earth.”

Tom Radel, The online sales coordinator for surplus, spoke about the OSUsed sale that will take place friday.

“The sale is from 12:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.,” Radel said. “It is open to the public and anything in the warehouse is on sale. We have everything from lab equipment to computers. We will also be giving away water bottles and bags for earth day.”

Norris explained the overall purpose for the events.

“We think that we are able to get students and staff engaged through these events,” said Norris. “We want to make sure they know that celebrating the earth goes beyond just one day.”

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