The Department of Sustainability announced their new EarthFest T-Shirt Design Contest to celebrate their annual Earth Festival, held on April 21 located in University Commons in front of the D.P. Culp Student Center.

The event will insist of booths, activities and free merchandise once attendees get enough stamps on their tickets by visiting a certain number of stalls.

Coordinator of the Department of Sustainability Erica Malpass has been in the program since 2021 and launched this contest to push student involvement. The contest will have a prized winner after its deadline on March 10, midnight, and a preview of the winning design will be released before the festival.

“Why not get a new take on it and get our students involved in it,” Malpass said. “I wanted to offer an opportunity for them to get their creative juices flowing and showcase EarthFest and ETSU.”

After the pause of activity due to COVID-19, the department faced hurdles as general labor thinned across the state. Now, the department is working its way into environmental work again and pushing ambitiously for a healthier time ahead.

“The purpose of the department is to aid in helping get green initiatives on campus, making our environment more sustainable, not just the actual environment itself but also the social part,” Malpass said.

Also managing the student-led program EcoNuts, Malpass foresees a bright future for this year’s EarthFest and for the future of the department. She encourages everyone to participate in this contest as a step forward since the contest is open to all students who want to participate.

“It’s not just one [person], It’s not just a small group, it takes all of us to build for a better future for our future generations,” said Malpass.

Adhering to all sustainability concepts, the department and EcoNuts alike continue striving for an improved and greener future. For more information on the Department of Sustainability, visit etsu.edu/sustainability/.

For more information on EcoNuts and how to get involved, visit etsu.edu/sustainability/who-we-are/econuts.php.