“When we bring in other partners and show them the Recycling Center,” Education and Upcycle Coordinator at the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center Katie Radigan said. “Hopefully more and more, it will stick in everybody's mind that material waste is a very big piece when it comes to sustainability, but is oftentimes forgotten about because it is not seen. That's the real benefit of coming out here is that people can see where it goes.”

Of all the booths in the center, students and community members could make crafts, gain knowledge, get new clothes, books and more. Partners like Karma Cloth and the Sewing and Embroidery Club or Yarn Circle, used crafts to demonstrate how to help reduce waste. 

Old t-shirts and plastic bags were the spotlight of Yarn Circle’s booth. They taught attendees to make yarn out of the supplies and use it for crochet or knitting. 

“If we can help in any way to reuse the things that otherwise would end up in a landfill and repurpose it into something that could be used, that's amazing,” elementary education freshman Natalie Strickland said. "We can take stuff out of the landfills and bring it back in as something new and shiny and exciting for people to use, instead of having things that maybe people don't find exciting or happy anymore.”

Other booths featured less crafts and more knowledge such as the MSU Bikes booth. After spending time at their booth, doctorate student in the microbiology genetics and immunology program Ira Zibbu plans to take her bike to the MSU Bike shop to get fenders and meet other student bikers.

“I think [Earth Day] is just a day to remind ourselves that if we want things to change, we have to actually work for them, and that we're not alone in our desire for change,” Zibbu said. “There are other people on campus who want the same thing. So it's good to meet them, to know that they exist, and that you can achieve more together than you can achieve on your own.”

Eco-art signs also help to educate and evoke emotions out of attendees. Students in Residential College of Arts and Humanities class, Painting on the Edge, were given an assignment to create a sign for advocacy or protest. The projects were centered on issues such as AI use, mountaintop mining and more. 

“[This] is just a time to focus on our impact on the environment,” Radigan said. “A chance to kind of reflect on, ‘Are we living up to what we value and what matters to us?’ or ‘Are we looking to make some changes and improve some of our sustainability-like practices in day-to-day life?’ So maybe a chance to set some goals for yourself, to learn something new. So I think it's a great time to just draw your attention onto what's going on in the natural world around you and consider how it is impacting all of the creatures."

The Center’s work isn’t limited to Earth month but hosts similar events throughout the year, such as Fall Fest in October. When collaborating for large events such as this, different groups bring different areas of sustainability to the table. 

“Hopefully, one thing that people can take away from this,” Radigan said, “Is that we are all one department, and that's intentional, because that allows us to manage materials in the highest and best way. Meaning, like, if something comes in through our recycling sort line, and it actually is reusable, we can at least recycle it. Having everything all together [helps.]”