Deree celebrated yet another World Environment Day at its premises on June 12 with a series of fun, interactive, educational activities! This year, the Environmental Studies (ES) Society with the support of the Center of Excellence for Sustainability – Office of Public Affairs, put together a variety of activities, including a treasure hunt game and a very creative board game.
In the treasure hunt game, small groups of students were asked to find areas and classrooms with a sustainability component. The top three groups received a gift based on their time performance and the clues they discovered! The ECOquiz board game, an ES Society creation, drew many people’s attention as students, faculty, and staff were eager to test their knowledge on sustainability-related issues. According to Vice President of the Environmental Studies Society, Philip Duzdabanian, “the treasure hunt resonated with peoples’ curiosity and their inner detective instincts and the board game drew much attention as bystanders watched the participants play. Overall, all those who participated had a great time all the while learning and becoming more aware of the consequences or implications of our current wasteful lifestyles and how everything is being affected by plastic pollution.”
The event also included a presentation on the connection and effect that poverty has on the environment and vice versa. Lastly, participants had the opportunity to discover both their ecological and water footprints and see how many planet resources they are currently using. This was an eye-opener for many! Those who had the lowest footprints won a sustainable gift (reusable straw, thermos). Many participants saw this as an opportunity to take the ACG Sustainability Pledge and commit to daily individual actions for a more sustainable lifestyle!
President of the Environmental Studies Society, Pinelopi Savvidou said: “We attracted many participants and I think we communicated the importance of our environment and the basic principles of sustainability to all of them. My hope is to organize many similar events in order to raise greater awareness for the human impact on the environment in the near future!”
