On a beautiful and sunny day, student vendors gathered outside of the Ehinger Center on Oct. 17 for the Drew Environmental Action League’s second annual Ecofest.
Student vendors sold handmade items, and Drew clubs had tables fundraising and advertising their group’s goals. This event was widely successful, with all of the tables getting much attention from students who stopped by.
The students selling items at this event got to keep most of their earnings, and 10 percent of the proceeds were donated to The Great Swamp Watershed Association, an organization in Morristown that focuses on fun outdoor events, boosting community strength, advocating for clean water and educating people on healthy habits.
The DEAL members thought it was important to donate to a local organization to promote community and to strengthen DEAL’s partnerships outside of Drew.
“This is our second annual Ecofest, and the first one was a big success, so we wanted to bring it back for another year,” said DEAL President Katie Germinder (‘27).
Some students sold a mix of crochet items, such as tapestries and earring holders from one vendor, and animals, coasters and roses from another.
Ashley Boateng (‘29) was another student vendor who sold crochet hats and headbands. “This was my first time doing Ecofest, and I hope they do it again next year because then I can come prepared and bring my whole collection,” she said.
Other popular tables included handsewn purses, bags and scrunchies from another Drew student, as well as stickers, cards, wristlets and more from others.
There were other tables that were fundraising and promoting various causes, including the Drew Performing Arts Accessibility Coordinators. This organization was selling earrings and enlightening many students about their main goals. These goals are to discuss and educate others on accessibility and disability, and to provide valuable accessibility resources to theatre performances.
The Drew Student Voter Project had a table as well, where they were encouraging students to register to vote and giving out stickers and American flags.
Other vendors offered their services to student customers, such as henna tattoos, where students could pick whatever design and placement they desired.
Faustyna Przedworska (‘29), who provided the henna tattoos, said, “It was really cool seeing what other people can do.”
Many students who made crafts for this event also allowed students to submit personalized orders through social media, which they would create especially for the customer.
DEAL is hosting a sustainability food fest in the coming weeks and working on other events within their partnerships both on and off campus, which students can be on the lookout for.
Casey Bush is a sophomore majoring in Psychology.
