Local clubs and organizations gather for the Earth Day Fair in San Luis Obispo
Audio by Sophie Corbett
The nonprofit organization Earth Day Alliance, Inc., hosted their annual Earth Day Fair in San Luis Obispo on April 23.
The fair took place at Laguna Lake Park from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and featured live music, an electric car show and local organization booths. Many were in attendance in support of preserving the environment.
The booths and activities are “the front line for raising public awareness about the health of the planet and action we can take to protect and preserve the environment for future generations,” as stated on the Earth Day Alliance website.
One of the booths at the fair was the Cal Poly Zero Waste Club, which started in 2015 as a way to create waste awareness on campus. Club presidents Annika Furr and Corinna Donovan ran the booth that included infographics to place above trash cans as a reminder to recycle, and two raffles to raise money for the club.
The purpose for their booth is for “spreading knowledge and resources about how to recycle, compost and dispose of trash in SLO county,” Furr said.
Not all booths focused on protecting the environment on a local level. There were many vendors a part of larger, national organizations.
Citizens Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that addresses climate change issues on a political level, had a booth at the fair as well.
“We’re trying to encourage the Biden Administration to put a tax on carbon,” nonprofit member and Cal Poly communications junior Elliana Blemenfeld said.
At the fair, Blemenfeld said they hoped to find people to email President Biden and push for cleaner energy.
The fair also had many booths and activities geared toward inspiring the younger generation to be cautious of their digital footprint. Camp Fire, a youth development organization in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, does just that.
Their mission is to “connect kids to nature, themselves and their peers,” Renee Davila, a board member and club leader for Camp Fire, said.
“We do a lot of outdoor events, we do camping, basically just teaching them leadership and life skills,” Davila said.