EARTH Celebrates World Car Free Day

Date: September 28th, 2016

On September 22, EARTH University joined the World Car Free initiative, which aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and give our planet a much-needed reprieve.

This is the 28th annual World Car Free Day in which EARTH has participated.

To participate, the EARTH community had to leave their cars at the main entrance of the university and from there, take public transportation to their offices. Carpooling and bicycle riding were also encouraged as alternative transportation methods. As a result, nearly a ton of CO2 was saved.

Manrique Arguedas, director of the EARTH Environmental Action unit, said that, “The initiative was very positive because we were able to prevent our faculty, residents, contractors, suppliers, and visitors from using car transportation. It is an event that, in addition to being a specific action, also helps raise awareness. This year we were able to participate in a countrywide challenge with other Car Free Day participants including NGOs and institutions of higher education.”

“Additionally, during the week the community was able to bring their electronic waste in order to properly dispose of it through an authorized agency that, in this case, was the company FORTECH.” 

EARTH currently has three Car Free Days a year as an additional reinforcement to help the planet.

Eliminate food waste! 

Also, throughout this year, Car Free day has gone hand in hand with another initiative that aims to reduce food waste.

Every year, 1/3 of food produced in the world is wasted. At EARTH University we are no exception. Thanks to an analysis by our Environmental Action Unit, it was discovered that every day our wasted food amounts to 115 kilograms, or 253 pounds.

To raise awareness, we organized a “Disco Soup,” an activity that mixed music, fun, cooking, teamwork, and most importantly, using food that did not look “passable” to eat.

Participants were made of four teams: the LPA (Food Processing Lab), Student Affairs, Admissions, and students. Within the hour, they had to prepare a soup with ingredients such as cassava, plantain, pac choi, star fruit, papaya, and heart of palm. Those attending the cafeteria could try the soups while they eat lunch.

Thank you to all those who participated!

The cooks posing for the photo

The cooks posing for the photo

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