The Sacramento State Sustainability Team is made up of three key components: Nat Martin who is Sac State’s energy conservation coordinator; Kristina Cullen who is Sac State’s sustainability and operations analyst; and Joey Martinez, the recycling and sustainability coordinator.

Sac State Sustainability has been involved with Earth Day on campus since 2013.

“This is promising to be our biggest Earth Day yet!” Martinez said. “We’ll have around 50 presenters, a recycling competition, food trucks, sustainable vehicles, up-scaled art, a Pillars of Sustainability exhibit, and more. All of these can be found in the Library Quad between 10 and 3 p.m.”

Along with the Environmental Student Organization and the Environmental Studies Department, Sac State Sustainability is one of the main facilitators of Sac State’s 2015 Earth Day which will take place on April 16.

Sac State’s Earth Day is celebrated earlier than Earth Day festivities of the city of Sacramento in hopes of having a greater turnout of students and ensuring the likeliness of presenting speakers on campus.

The early celebration also occurs in hopes of also encouraging students to get involved in the local events that may follow in the weeks that proceed.

Earth Day on campus strives to compel students to participate in recycling and introduce to them other ways to help out the environment. It also serves as a way to present the strides Sac State has made to become more conscious of sustainability.

“As with any Earth Day, our goal is to promote awareness of sustainability,” Martinez said. “For this event, however, we want festival-goers to walk away from this event with a better understanding of how Sac State University practices energy and water conservation, how it has expanded its recycling program, how the STORC (Sustainable Technology Outdoor Research Center) has allowed for a flourishing academic sustainability-based curriculum, how various campus departments have implemented sustainable practices and guidelines and just, generally, how much Sac State cares about sustainability.”

There are many ways for students to get involved this year at Earth Day on campus.

Feel free to stop by the Recycle It All at Sac State booth and bring any of the following: electronic waste, used cooking oil, ink and toner cartridges, gently used clothes and shoes, batteries, light bulbs, select unused or expired medications, car batteries and even some select latex paints.

In addition to recycling, there are other events to look forward to this Earth Day on Campus.

“There will be a tour of the University Arboretum at 10:30, a Campus Sustainability tour starting in front of The WELL at 12 noon and a tour at the STORC beginning at 1:30. STORC will also be hosting an Open House from 10am to 3pm,” Cullen said.

Earth Day is a great annual event that takes place and gives students an opportunity to appreciate the planet and all of it’s resources.

“We often take advantage of the Earth’s resources, and tend to forget that we are all living on this planet together. We should all commit to loving and protecting our environment and improving the quality of life in this world, no matter how small the act may be,” Sac State student Alli Smith said. “Pick up trash whenever you see some, express random acts of kindness towards others, turn off the sink while brushing your teeth. Together, we can create a world that works in unison. The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth.”

Earth Day will take place April 16th in the Library Quad. Look forward to the speakers, tours, vendors and other festivities.

“Most of all, we hope that students, faculty, and staff walk away with one important message: Sac State is green and will continue to be so as long as you work to make it that way” said Martinez.