The Environmental Club hosted a Plant Power Food Truck on Friday to conclude a series of on-campus events including a clothing drive, a used battery drop off and plant sale throughout the week in honor of Earth Day.

Earth Day, which was first observed on April 22, 1970, is now a globally recognized holiday and is often celebrated with week-long events promoting green living and confronting the climate crisis around the world.

In an effort to support and celebrate Earth Day with the student body, the Environmental Club wanted to provide fun ways to get as many students involved to raise awareness. Co-leader Scarlett Pinkey ’22 said the club wanted students to enjoy observing Earth Day through tasty and sustainable food.

“Our main goal was to find an environmentally friendly way to get students excited about Earth Day,” Pinkey said in an email. “We also hoped that having the truck on campus would help demystify the concept of vegan food and show people that meatless options really can taste good. We also wanted to support the students who regularly eat plant-based food for religious purposes and students that are vegan [or] vegetarian.”

Pinkey said she felt the student body was incredibly supportive of the truck and was happy with the turnout.

“We got a lot of orders,” Pinkey said. “Quite a few people came up to me after the event and told me how much they enjoyed the food and I feel like the event was pretty successful, especially considering that there is sometimes a big stigma around vegan [and] plant-based options.”

Co-leader Chloe Appel ’23 said another major goal that the club wanted to achieve was to help students learn easy and practical ways to exercise sustainable living.

“I hope that people learned about how being more sustainable in your everyday life doesn’t have to be a challenge,” Appel said. “Starting a garden, making new things out of your food waste, shopping secondhand, etc. are just a few examples of easy ways to lower your carbon footprint.”

Sadye Lackman ’22, who was in line for the truck, said she enjoyed celebrating Earth Day by eating environmentally friendly foods.

“I think the food truck was a great way to introduce non-vegans to vegan food, though it was a little upsetting how long the line took,” Lackman said. “Eating sustainably is a great way to support the planet, so I think the food truck was a cool way to celebrate Earth Day.”