Heather Shea Gasser, the assistant director of RISE said the organization is a community of students devoted to environmental justice, sustainability and making a difference in the earth.

Shea Gasser said the group wanted to do a special event for Earth Day because of its connection with the group.

Maya Littlefield, an environmental studies and studio art freshman, said she teamed up with Shea Gasser to create and design a giant chalk sunflower on the sidewalk.

The design included a RISE logo and ample space for students to add their own creative Earth Day designs to spruce up the sidewalk.

“We have been working on the design all week,” Littlefield said. “It’s really cool to see it all coming together and actually having all the different designs from different people.”

Within the first hour, the sidewalk was teeming with about 25 creative students eager to add to the design.

The sidewalk quickly filled with an assortment of different chalk art from various student participants.

Littlefield created sunflower petals for others to contribute to the drawing. Inside the petals were rainbows, bees, butterflies, the Spartan helmet and more.

“Part of what we were looking for is just an opportunity for students to come together and create community through the process of developing art work,” Shea Gasser said. “They can talk about what the significance of the day is for them.”

Littlefield said she enjoyed seeing her design come together with the help of the outside community.

Horticulture and environmental studies junior Joe Fox contributed to the design of the art circle.

He drew the Spartan helmet, a parsley plant and a toad in relation to MSU and the RISE program.

“I drew the Spartan head because I figured it is definitely needed for anything at MSU,” Fox said.

The MSU Dairy Store brought ice cream to the participants as well.

Shea Gasser said members of RISE also hosted a trash pick-up along the Red Cedar River to help beautify campus on Tuesday.