Recycled Fashion Show, Community Cleanups to Highlight Earth Week Activities at UCM

 

Spring is finally here, and the University of Central Missouri (UCM) has a number of events planned to celebrate Earth Week.

The week will kick off with the opportunity to enter the outdoor photo contest. Stop by the Elliott Student Union Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, April 21 to learn more about the events planned for Earth Week and submit your best outdoor photo to bergstrom@ucmo.edu by Friday, April 25 for a chance to win a prize.

Learn more about sustainability by visiting with campus organizations and community partners from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 outside the Elliott Student Union. Visitors can make a dog leash, learn about beekeeping or participate in other fun activities. The Student Government Association will host a recycled clothes swap shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23 outside the Alumni Chapel. 

Citizens for Environmental Action (CEA), a volunteer group in Warrensburg, will host a Bradford Pear tree buyback event from 3 to 6 p.m. at the UCM Farm, 700 S. Mitchell St.

Several events are planned for Wednesday, including a deep listening exercise with Kirsten Taylor, UCM ceramics artist-in-residence, at 7 a.m. at Turkey Foot Prairie, SW 101st Road, and a CEA clothes mending event from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in Union 213. Students are invited to bring clothes that need mending, and they can also learn how to do it themselves. 

To close out Wednesday evening, the UCM Fashion and Apparel Merchandising program will host its senior fashion showcase and a Recycle, Restyle, Revamp Fashion Show at 5:30 p.m. in Union 236-238. Seniors will showcase their collections, and the show will also feature outfits made from recycled materials by students.

On Thursday, April 24, students are encouraged to help clean up the trails at Pertle Springs from 3 to 7 p.m. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mo’s Activities Council will host a petting zoo at Selmo Park.

Friday, April 25, is packed with Earth Week activities centered around the outdoors. From 2 to 7 p.m., the campus community is invited to help clean up Lions Lake, or they can help with Warrensburg Main Street’s from 3 to 5 p.m. At 2 p.m., those who stop by the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) entrance will have the chance to help plant a tree for Arbor Day. The SRWC will also offer open archery from 6 to 8 p.m. on the upper court.

The week closes out on Saturday, April 26 with another opportunity to clean up and beautify downtown Warrensburg from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday also marks the beginning of the Warrensburg Farmers’ Market season, which kicks off with the Moonlight Market from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. around the Johnson County Courthouse square. For more information about the farmers’ market or downtown beautification, visit .

The UCM Horticulture Club and the Department of Agriculture are also hosting the annual spring plant sale this month. The sale begins from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 18 and continues from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19. It will be open from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, April 21 through Thursday, April 24. The last chance to snag some new plants for your garden is from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 25.

The sale takes place at the UCM greenhouse at 400-470 Broad St., just past the Department of Public Safety building. Plants for sale include hanging baskets, flowering annuals, herbs, succulent houseplants, carnivorous plants, and fruit and vegetable plants, featuring numerous varieties of tomatoes and peppers.

Supplies are limited. Cash, checks or credit/debit cards are accepted. For more information about the plant sale, contact Michelle Santiago, professor and chair of the Department of Agriculture, at 660-543-4361 or santiago@ucmo.edu. For a sneak peek of the available plants, visit the page on Facebook.

For more information about Earth Week events, contact Assistant Director for Outdoor Education Jeff Rehm at rehm@ucmo.edu.