Green Team Southwestern and Tri-Beta will host an Earth Day extravaganza on Tuesday, April 22, from 4-6 p.m., in the Deets Library on the Southwestern College campus.  The event will be an insightful and hands-on afternoon on how to help the earth and improve the environment. There is no admission charge and the public is encouraged to attend.

“The Earth Day extravaganza will be packed full of come-and-go activities to help you learn about your carbon footprint, how to mend clothes and sew patches and buttons, and a test of how much you know about recycling,” says Kim Dolphin, assistant professor of biology at Southwestern College.  “We hope that everyone will attend and learn more about how to minimize our personal impacts on our planet.”

Leading up to the Earth Day event, Tri-Beta and Green Team Southwestern will be holding a denim recycling drive. Through April 21, and even on the day of the event, denim will be collected for recycling.

“In collaboration with Field to Fabric here in Winfield, we are collecting denim that is 90%+ cotton (check those labels) to be recycled through Cotton’s ‘Blue Jeans Go Green’ initiative,” Dolphin says. “The used denim will be recycled and transformed into insulation for houses, pet bedding, and thermal packaging insulation. Also, every piece of denim donated will enter individuals into a raffle that will be drawn at our Earth Day event.”

Articles of clothing can be dropped off all week on the Southwestern College campus at Kim Dolphin's office (Beech 203), with Sammie Lobosco (Reid Hall in room 206), or at Field to Fabric at 907 Main St.

For more information, contact Dolphin by email at kim.dolphin@sckans.edu or Lobosco at samantha.lobosco@sckans.edu.