VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

Park Plaza transformed into a community bazaar on Friday, while the Commons Plaza became a fashion runway as part of Virginia Commonwealth University's massive Earth Day celebration.

Student groups Green Unity for VCU and the newly formed Rams Community Bazaar collaborated to organize the bazaar — eponymously called the Rams Community Bazaar — which attracted hundreds.

"Our aim is to solidify a future on the VCU campus for a community market, and stress the value of sustainability and creativity as a link between VCU and RVA," said Brady Rall, president of the Rams Community Bazaar.

More than 40 exhibitors, from student organizations, to local artists and businesses, showcased an assortment of arts, crafts, foods and eco-friendly products.

VCU alumna Laura Napky set up a stand selling hula-hoops made from irrigation tubing and electrical tape. Hooping, Napky said, is a great way to exercise outdoors. The handmade hoops are much easier to use than those sold at toy stores, as many testers demonstrated.

Musical entertainment included the R.A.M.ifications of VCU and local musician Cole Sullivan. Marketplace patrons provided the electricity needed to power a credit card machine, popcorn maker and cell phone-charging station by riding stationary bikes hooked up to a generator.

Ethan Seltzer provided the bikes and popcorn maker.

"We want people to feel what it's like — feel what kind of energy it takes to produce electricity," said Seltzer, founder of the local nonprofit Pedal Power and a VCU alumnus. If a volunteer rode for one hour, "he'd be exhausted. And he would have produced enough electricity to be able to run the air conditioning for two and a half minutes or an oven at 350 degrees for two minutes."

While other vendors sold artwork, plants and herbs and other enviro-friendly goods, a giant community painting offered patrons the chance to show off their artistic sides. Green Unity offered free shopping bags made from repurposed T-shirts.

Over at the Commons Plaza, patrons could sign up for Segway tours — an event that's become a favorite at the university — and view the Eco-Fashion Show, presented by VCU Recycling. Fashion show organizers wanted to stress that eco-friendliness isn't all about energy and green buildings.

"It's really just about having fun, but we want people to take away that even fashion can be eco-friendly," said Parker Long, VCU Sustainability assistant. "It doesn't have to be a huge lifestyle change. Getting some of your clothes from the thrift store or donating your clothes instead of throwing them out. There's a lot of takeaways we think."

The one rule for the fashion designers: All materials had to be repurposed.

"Ideally with eco-fashion, you're saving it from landfills, but you're also using it – you're delaying," said Kim Guthrie, interim assistant chair of the Fashion Department. "Because sooner or later it's going to go there, so hopefully you're delaying it. Ideally things will be made that are compostable or renewable.

"People talk about food, they talk about fuels, they talk about buildings. Food, housing/shelter and clothing. The three things we need to live – they need to put as much focus on the clothing/apparel/consumption part as they do on the food and the shelter part. It's a holistic thing. If you're eating organic food, why aren't you buying low-impact fashion?"

VCU Goes Green, the Honors College and the Global Education Office sponsored this year's Earth Day festivities.