If you have been feeling a little green lately, you could blame all the hoopla surrounding “Earth Week” during the past week.

Thursday, April 22, marked the 40th observation of Earth Day around the world, and the Loras campus was celebrating the entire week with various activities.

Activities included tree-planting, an emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables and eco-friendly coffee samples in the Cafe, and selling reusable “green” water bottles in the Duhawk Market, among others.

Students were encouraged to pledge to “go green” and T-shirts were sold throughout the week promoting conservation and protection of the Earth.

Each day, students were encouraged to sign up for times to help in the effort to plant trees around campus, 

Junior Sujan Devbhandari helped with the tree plantings throughout the week.

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“Fortunately, it was a perfect week weather-wise to plant trees and get hands dirty out in the sun,” he said. “Student participation was impressive. Everyone who came and helped were thinking of how good it would feel 10 to 15 years down the road when these trees would establish themselves and add something positive to this planet.”

Junior Patrick McCarty also participated in the tree- planting activities. “A lot of students, as well as faculty and staff, seemed to take interest in making Loras look nicer but also cleaning up our planet,” he said. “The tree-planting was not easy work, but it was a lot of fun and now I can pass a tree every day on my way to class and know that I contributed to our Earth in a good way. I think we could all benefit from getting our hands dirty and doing our part to help, rather than harming where we live.”

Sustainability Committee Chair Nathaniel Wagner sent out daily tips on how students, faculty and staff can go green, some of which included thinking twice before you print something, downloading “EcoFonts” (that use less ink than traditional typefaces), re-using whatever you can and making an extra effort to recycle, such as making the extra effort to find a recycling can.

Senior Kate Stachowiak, who participated in Earth Week festivities, said she is glad she had the opportunity to help and leave a legacy that will be recognized for years to come.“I’ve always wanted to plant a tree,” she said. “It’s the simplest thing I could do but I feel like in the long run that one little tree is going to bring someone a place to find shade or some leaves to jump in during autumn. You want to make a difference in the world, keep it simple, plant a tree and laugh while doing it.”