Green Gala to celebrate Earth Month

Earth Month will be celebrated in a very Emersonian way on Thursday, April 2, with the Green Gala—a night of sustainable food, fashion, and student performances at the Paramount Center—in addition to the College’s ongoing RecycleMania campaign. The entire event is being organized by student volunteers, some of whom are in the EcoRep program.

Tickets for the Green Gala may be purchased now for $5 in-person at the Paramount Center Box Office.

Following a 6:15 pm reception, President Lee Pelton is scheduled to speak at the beginning of the 7:30 pm event at the Mainstage of the Paramount Center, followed by a video message from actors David Alan Basche ’90, Leah Remini, and Wayne Knight from the TV Land show The Exes, on how recycling and sustainability are important to them.

The 6:15 pm pre-show reception, which will be held in the Randall Lobby of the Paramount Center, will feature vegan food; a fashion booth with clothing made of organic materials; and a performance by student singer Juliana Tucker ’16, who performs under the stage name Vyla V.

The show will continue with performances by more than 11 Emerson student organizations focused on dancing, singing, and comedy.

“The interest from students has been amazing,” said Jade Zaroff ’17, a co-organizer of the event who is an Emerson College EcoRep, helping the College administer sustainability policies and raise awareness. “It took off once we realized that this was going to be created, produced, and performed by Emerson students.”

The other co-organizer is Olivia Rubbo '17.

Proceeds from the Green Gala will help the Emerson Green Fund, which directly benefits initiatives to make Emerson more environmentally friendly. Emerson has repeatedly been recognized by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its green energy use.

Emerson President Lee Pelton recently met with several students organizing the Green Gala to help with promotional materials. (Courtesy Photo)

“This will be a very Emerson-style event because there are so many great artists, from poetry and art to drama, comedy, and dance,” said Eric Van Vlandren ’90, the College’s sustainability coordinator. “It has such an Emerson flavor to it that it will be a really great event.”

The Emerson student groups performing include:

·      This is Pathetic (improv comedy)

·      Police Geese (comedy troupe)

·      Emerson Urban Dance Theatre

·      Achoired Taste (a cappella)

·      Treble Makers (a cappella)

·      Musical Theatre Society

·      Acappellics Anonymous (a cappella)

·      Emerson Dance Company

·      Shakespeare Society (theater)

·      Kidding Around (puppetry)

·      Emerson Poetry Project (spoken word)

In addition to the Green Gala, Emerson is celebrating its fourth year of participation in RecycleMania, an eight-week nationwide recycling competition for colleges and universities. Participating institutions are ranked by their reported weekly trash and recycling weights.

Last year, Emerson reported an overall recycling rate of 30 percent during the competition. The College hopes to improve this year by increasing its rate to 35 percent.

The ultimate goal of the competition, however, is to encourage the development of lifelong sustainability habits at work, home, and school.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to take the RecycleMania online pledge.

New this year is a “Green Your Office Competition” for faculty and staff. Competition details can be found on the Sustainability at Emerson website.

For more information on RecycleMania, contact eric_vanvlandren@emerson.edu or nancy_howell@emerson.edu.

Green Gala co-organizers Jade Zaroff '17 and Olivia Rubbo '17. (Courtesy Photo)