Although it was early for a Saturday, several members of Students in Free Enterprise and Earthkeepers met at 10 a.m. at the greenhouse behind Doane Hall to complete manual work as a part of Blackout, a month-long campaign to save energy.
What was advertised as Clean-up Day turned out to be a day of up-keeping the greenhouse and constructing a bicycle rack with a roof.
The group of about 15 students divided into two teams to work on the projects. While the first group sifted dirt and watered and planted native seeds in the greenhouse, the other group started to work on the bicycle rack outside.
“It is important to give back to Eastern and take care of God’s creation,” said senior Laura Diefenderfer, a SIFE member who worked inside the greenhouse.
Sophomore Gavin Donnelly of Earthkeepers supervised the volunteers in the greenhouse. There, they prepared for germination water lotus seeds, which will ultimately be put in one of the ponds on campus.
Outside, senior Ryan Axt led the construction of the bike rack. While fighting the chill, the students carefully planned, measured and cut wood to create the rack.
According to Axt, most of the students at Eastern do not bring their bikes to campus because there are no good bike racks available.
“We don’t know where it is going to go, but we will find that out as soon as possible,” Axt said to the group.
Students had tea to help stay warm but, other than that, it was just their determination and commitment that kept them going in the bitter cold.