As Dillo Day approaches, Mayfest and Students for Ecological and Environmental Development have teamed up to make the spring festivities more eco-friendly.
Mayfest will work with SEED as part of the requirements of the NUnite grant, but also because both groups share common goals, said Katie Halpern, co-chair of Mayfest.
“We have never had an official co-sponsorship with SEED, which is really interesting because we are both about the sun and fun in the outdoors and saving the world,” the Weinberg senior said. “We are really excited. It seems like a natural pairing. … We know that it’s going to be easy to work together and we should be able to come up with something great.”
Part of the green effort will include placing more recycling bins on the Lakefill on Dillo Day. The groups are also considering increasing the number of recycling bins in the residential areas for students to dispose of their trash the day after the event as well. The two student groups hope to increase awareness at Dillo Day because it is one of the most well-attended events of the year, said Dylan Lewis, co-chair of SEED and Communication junior.
A large part of the effort is focused on reducing the use of plastic water bottles throughout the month-long festivities, particularly on Dillo Day. Last year, Mayfest spent $7,000 on plastic water bottles, said Michael Gebhardt, co-chair of Mayfest.
“Obviously that is a lot of waste material that we can kind of eliminate, at least in part,” the Weinberg junior said.
This year Mayfest is hoping to offset the use of plastic water bottles by selling canteens on the Lakefill.
“We are excited about that because historically we haven’t let people bring any sort of liquids on or off the Lakefill when they come through security checkpoints,” Halpern said. “We still won’t be able to do that, but if we have water stations on the Lakefill, people will be able to have their own water in safe containers.”
Canteens are also available for purchase before the event through Mayfest’s online store. Other efforts to reduce waste include holding paperless meetings, using biodegradable materials and collaborating with other environmental groups on campus and in Chicago.
Aside from Dillo Day, Mayfest has been working with the production company TechNoTrix to reduce energy use during the concert performances and setup, Halpern said.
“We also plan on approaching the artists and asking them to do whatever they can … to make their whole production or performance as green as possible,” Gebhardt said. “A lot of artists are into that at the moment, so it should be well-received.”
Monetary constraints currently limit Mayfest’s ability to make the festivities as environmentally-friendly as possible. However, for future events, the group hopes to use more energy-efficient LED lights and continue collaborating with SEED, Halpern said.
“This is the first year we have really tried to go green, but it is a really exciting movement, and it goes so well with our goal and our Dillo Day mission,” she said. “And this NUnite grant will actually go a long way because officially partnering with SEED is really a great way to get the word out and get people thinking of how they can be more environmentally friendly.” [email protected]
