Students and faculty at Dallas College’s Richland Campus gathered on Earth Day, from noon to 2 p.m. for the Richland Earth Day event, promoting environmental protection and sustainable living through hands-on activities and community partnerships.
Organized by Student Programs and Campus Engagement, the event included a large-scale tree planting initiative that added more than 40 trees to campus grounds.
The effort was made possible through partnerships with the Texas Tree Foundation, Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis and Dallas College.
Nalani Cole, an architectural engineering major, attended the event after hearing about it from Marcus Miranda, head coordinator of Student Life.
She said the experience opened her eyes to new perspectives on sustainability, particularly a fashion booth that showcased handmade dresses created from recycled plastic.
“It occurred to me that not everything has to be cloth or silk related,” Cole said.
Cole said her connection to environmental awareness comes from her mother’s teachings that the Earth is a living entity.
“Earth day is extremely important because just like a birthday, if you will, it’s to value and appreciate the earth and everything,” she said.
Cole added that many students are unaware of campus events and resources and said she hopes to help spread the word in the future.
“If I could improve on communication, reaching out, hey, there’s an event that would help set them up right.”
Beyond student involvement, community organizations were also present. Representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department were there, including Brittany Page of the Texas Outdoor Family program, which offers affordable camping workshops to encourage families to spend time outdoors and connect with nature.
Page said that people often overlook the impact of small pieces of trash left behind while outdoors. “A lot of people don’t pay attention to the micro trash that’s left,” she said. “It’s like when you open your granola bar, you have the big piece and then you have a very tiny piece. That’s the piece that normally gets left behind.” Page said that spending time outdoors is important for student wellbeing and environmental awareness.
Corporate sponsors also participated, like 7-Eleven, which promoted its 7NOW delivery service. Xan Barkwell, a representative from 7-Eleven, said that the company values opportunities to engage with the community and support educational initiatives.
“Sustainability is very important because we need to continue to live on Earth,” Barkwell said.
Students also enjoyed free food, snacks and interactive activities.
Cole said that the free food helped attract students, but said that future events could draw even more students through social media challenges or raffles.
The Richland Earth Day event provided students with tools and information about sustainability.
This collaboration between students, community partners and organizations aims to support ongoing environmental efforts on campus.
