The University of Mississippi Environmental Coalition hosted its second annual Ecofest in the student union ballroom on Wednesday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The involvement fair invited environmental clubs and community groups to spread awareness about their organizations.
Lead Coordinator of Ecofest Hailey Smith, a junior biology major, said she is excited that the event returned for a second time.
“I wanted to really emphasize how different our groups are and the interests that are represented on campus and in the community,” Smith said. “I wanted to celebrate the things that we do.”
Smith said the goal of the UM Environmental Coalition is to help students find their interests in environmentalism and support campus organizations.
“I would like people who haven’t been exposed to environmentalism or maybe know the importance of sustainability to meet new people here and assimilate all that new information for why we should be environmental stewards and why we should care about the planet,” Smith said.
The coalition also hosts weekly meetings and provides community volunteer opportunities. Smith said the coalition plans to become more politically involved by advocating for greener policies on campus.
Jessi Stamn, co-founder of Strategies for Ecology, Education and Diversity (SEEDS) and a biology graduate student, tabled at Ecofest. She said SEEDS aims to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to get experience in ecology.
“Since we’re a new club, we want more students to know about us,” Stamn said. “(Ecofest) is just a way to connect with students who are interested in ecology as well as meet other clubs who share our mission.”
While only being active for a year, Stamn said SEEDS has had a significant turnout for their events. Recently, the club went to Huntsville, Ala., to tour a cave and found a salamander that has not been seen since 1968.
“Having this club participate in Ecofest is an awesome opportunity for students to connect to places that empower them and make them able to achieve their own goals,” Stamn said.
Carlos Gonzalez, a freshman journalism major, and Jay Hoker, a freshman accounting major, attended Ecofest. Even though they are not studying the environment in their majors, they said they found the involvement fair interesting.
“I had no idea there were this many popular environmental clubs or organizations at Ole Miss,” Gonzalez said.
Hoker said he enjoyed the beekeeping table where students could sample honey and learn about methods of beekeeping.
“I am looking forward to participating in any other events that they’re hosting,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to check those out and try to clear my schedule for some of them.”
