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A bluegrass duet called Jawbones was playing. A huge map of “Kentucky’s Mosaic of Life” covered nearly half of the West Lawn. 30 booths were lined up side by side.
All of these things were dedicated to one thing on October 22, Sustainability Day, at the University of Louisville–making the campus a little more eco-friendly. 
“People have a vague idea but don’t understand the issues.” said professor of psychology Barbara Burns, who helped to organize and lead the event.
According to Burns, while everyone understands the focus on being green and the money it can save, those that came together to promote Sustainability Day are “more concerned with awareness of public health.”
“This is a big thing,” said Denise Fitzpatick, professor of communications and a participant at the event. “The enthusiasm people are showing is really amazing. We’re serious, we’re coming together, and we’re going to do something about it.”
Burns shared the same sentiment. “The event exceeded my expectations,” said Burns. “We now have 300 people signed up for sustainability projects.”
The 300 people Burns is referring to are known as U of L’s “Green Team.”
Students also had the option to do their part without committing to such a cause. 
The “clothing swap” allowed students to trade in their used clothing for another’s, while the “floppy disk drive,” gave students the opportunity to turn in their used  drives for recycling. 
There was also a booth that tested students’ ability to distinguish between spring water, tap water, and distilled water, while discouraging the purchase of plastic water bottles.
Along with these attractions, free samples of coffee, water bottles, magnets, organic foods, and candy were available to students.
Layne Greenwell, a first year graduate assistant at the College of Education, was there to help represent the Center of Environment Education and reach out to the younger generations.
“We are an advocating center,” said Greenwell, “and we are hoping to further involvement.” 
Currently the center provides courses which informs students on environmental issues and incorporates environmental awareness into the curriculum.
According to those involved, the event proved successful in embracing the U of L student body.
“We’ve got the people, which is good.” said Burns. “We’ve got the organization, that’s great. Now we are working on awareness.”
Clearly, for some students, then notion of sustainability is of heavy importance.
“An event like this is always worth supporting,” senior history major Kevin Smalley said. “It’s important for the university to be responsible and do its part to take care of the environment.”