San Diego State’s Associated Students’ fourth annual GreenFest promises to be even more “green” than before. Many environmental organizations on campus are preparing their contribution to the week-long celebration, and the lineup for GreenFest’s performers were recently released. Headliners will be Jason Ross and CaliParis, with several others performing on smaller stages. A live stream of the event, the incorporation of the No Impact Project, a change in the event’s location and the disappearance of free entry are a few of several new changes this year.
This year’s GreenFest incorporates more self-powered rides, according to A.S. Sustainability Commissioner Morgan Chan. According to E3 vice president of campus affairs, Luiza Savchuk, last year’s event only housed two self-powered rides.
The inclusion of the No Impact Project, in the form of SDSU’s No Impact Week, will be composed of numerous workshops for individually themed days. The No Impact Project is an international environmental nonprofit geared toward promoting behavioral change to reduce environmental impact. According to Savchuk, during the week prior to GreenFest the Green Love board along with other organizations will conduct educational seminars. The seminars will follow No Impact Project’s seven thematic days: water, food, waste, consumption, energy, ecosabbath and give back day.
“It would be a great thing if more people participated this year and really put into practice a green lifestyle,” Savchuk said. “We hope the workshops create a buzz.”
According to Savchuk, the workshops’ participants are encouraged to take their knowledge gained from the first week and apply it during GreenFest. The organization is hoping participants’ practices become interactive by using the event’s Facebook page to post sustainable activities. There will be prizes for greener lifestyles, according to Chan.
Other prizes will be awarded during the workshops. Water filters will be handed out to participants in a tap water contest, according to Savchuk.
During food day, campus organization Garden Gnomes is expected to lecture about how to grow food, what foods are in season and the importance of gardening. Transportation issues will be discussed under the energy umbrella. Campus group The Bike Stand will be instructing attendees on how to properly lock and care for bicycles.
Students may register for the workshops at noimpactproject.org to win prizes, but registration is not required for participation. Festival tickets and driving minutes for either Zipcar or Car2go are among other prizes.
The event will no longer be on Campanile Walkway or Viejas Arena. Instead it will be moved to Parking Lots E and F. The reasoning behind the relocation is capacity. This year’s GreenFest expects 12,000 attendees.
Last year, the activities on the day of GreenFest before the nighttime concert were free. This year, the festivities and the concert will both take place at the parking lots and entrance will cost $10 for students and $25 for guests.
The Saturday of GreenFest will be streamed live online, according to television, film and new media senior CJ Capes. The webcast site is livestream.com/aztecentertainment.
According to Capes, the TFM students will test new technology by incorporating the iReporter option. Through iReporter, attendees will be encouraged to video record GreenFest using their mobile phones and send their recording to the TFM group to be streamed live, Capes said.
“By collaborating with the TFM department to execute this extensive media coverage of the festival, there will be an increase in the awareness and mission of GreenFest while providing valuable opportunities to students who want hands-on experience in event and media production,” GreenFest Executive Committee Chair Mina Azim said. “Overall, it is a wonderful partnership that will be a great addition to the GreenFest Festival this year.”
The week of GreenFest will be April 22-28 with the festival on April 28.
