Author: Lisa Kraege
Last Saturday, Jan. 31, the Delta Omicron Tau sorority hosted the “Go Green Dance” in Samuelson Pavilion. The dance was the final event in a week of festivities aimed at promoting sustainability on campus.
Delta spent the lunch hours of each week encouraging students to join the ASOC-run Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund, which was established last spring.
“The Fund was established by students of Occidental College to help pay for projects that make Occidental a more environmentally sustainable place,” the Fund’s website said. Part of the Fund’s role is to act as a resource for green events.
The money comes from an “opt-in” payment of $20, charged to student accounts after signing up for the fund. According to the website, at least 50% of the rest of the funds are put towards permanent changes in infrastructure and buildings.
Delta is one of the first organizations on campus to use the Fund to put on an event since the funding request option became available to campus groups earlier this month. With the help of UEP professor Mark Vallianatos, Delta got 61 students to sign-up for the sustainability fund, adding a total of $1220 to the fund.
“One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the little things, like getting bio-degradable cups,” Delta member Emma Pribnow (senior) said of the work put into planning the week’s events.
Some of the week’s events were cancelled because of the rain.
Other events and activities included putting up posters in the residence halls, raising publicity for different ways to be sustainable on campus, passing out a “10 tips to help make Oxy a greener campus” booklet and flyers about how to style your old clothes and reuse them. All of the flyers and paper were recycled.
Those who registered for the Sustainable Fund were entered into a raffle.
“There were 40 winners [out] of the 61 who were entered. Prizes included donations from Brownstone Pizza, Coffee Table, Camilo’s Bistro, Dave’s Chillin’ and Grillin’, Trader Joes and 21 choices,” Pribnow said.
The week culminated in the Go Green Dance. “I believe that the dance and the week leading up to it was a great success,” Delta President Ashley Van Sipma (senior) said. “We had a good response from the student body and were supported by local businesses in the area. We also had KOXY deejay the dance to keep it local.”
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