UL Lafayette’s Fête de la Terre 2015 festival will feature a week’s worth of activities and events to raise awareness about sound environmental and recycling practices.
The University’s Office of Sustainability will sponsor the festival. It will be held through Friday in conjunction with International Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22.
“Last year, we extended Fête de la Terre to a week, and that gives us an opportunity to partner with community organizations, offer a range of activities, and highlight many different aspects of sustainability,” said Gretchen Vanicor, director of Sustainability at UL Lafayette.
A “litter installation” will be held this week in front of Dupré Library, 400 E. St. Mary Blvd., to illustrate the amount of debris collected on campus grounds for the preceding month. That display will be set up on Monday afternoon.
A similar installation will show a week’s worth of debris pulled from the mouth the Coulee Mine. The drainage canal runs through campus near the intersection of Johnston and East Lewis streets. That display will be set up on Tuesday in front of Dupré Library.
The “Geaux Local: Sustainable Food Day” on Wednesday, April 22, will feature a farmer’s market and a panel discussion.
Local farmers from the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm will offer produce from 2:30-6 p.m. at the Alumni Center, 600 E. St. Mary Blvd.
A panel discussion, led by representatives of the LSU Ag Center and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm, will center on the environmental and economic benefits of growing and buying local food. The discussion will be held from 2-4 p.m. in the Teche Room of the Student Union, 620 McKinley St.
A “Surplus with a Purpose” Swap Shop is set for 8-10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 23 in Jazzman’s Café and Bakery in Dupré Library.
Faculty and staff members will be able to trade new and used office supplies at the event, with some exceptions. Items purchased with grant funds and state property, for example, can't be swapped at the surplus meet. A complete list of guidelines can be found on the Office of Sustainability's web page.
Unopened ink and toner cartridges from other departments will be distributed at the swap shop.
The Fête de la Terre expo will be held on Friday, April 24 at the corner of St. Mary and Hebrard boulevards.
University organizations and departments, and representatives of state agencies such as the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Department of Environmental Quality, will set up displays and demonstrations, including a bicycle maintenance workshop.
“The goal is to provide a good overview of many of the sustainability initiatives for the University, the community and the state,” she said.
Jambalaya will be served in biodegradable bowls at the “zero waste” expo. Several ensembles from the UL Lafayette School of Music and Performing Arts will play live music. They include the Zydeco Ensemble, the Vermilion Express (bluegrass), and the Angelle Aces, (Cajun music).
Fête de la Terre 2015 will wrap up with a Bayou Vermilion kayak and canoe trip for University students, faculty, and staff members.
The guided trip, from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25, will begin at the Lafayette Parish Bayou Vermilion District, 300 Fisher Road.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970 in the U.S., and is now celebrated in about 200 countries. Many communities also observe an Earth Week with environmental awareness campaigns.
Learn more about Fête de la Terre on the Office of Sustainability’s web page at sustainability.louisiana.edu.