Gather up food and knowledge

Students were given food — and food for thought — at the Vegan Society’s celebration of Earth Day on Thursday, April 19.

Vegan bagels and cream cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and tacos accompanied a series of discussions led by representatives from local farms as well as environmental and animal advocacy groups in the Great Hall.

For nursing major Matt Phelps, Earth Day is an invitation to reflection and mindfulness.

“Earth Day is basically an event where we get together and we talk about sustainability. We talk about being mindful of Earth’s resources. We talk about veganism, which is very much interconnected to Earth Day and being connected to the planet and how we treat it,” Phelps said.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology and Faculty Advisor for the Pierce Vegan Society

Stefanie Winnard said that club members feel strongly about their mission.

“All of us in the club are very passionate about protecting our environment and trying to save our planet for future generations,”

Winnard said. “We especially want to highlight one of the leading causes of climate change, which is animal agriculture.”

Winnard said the effects of animal agriculture also extend to deforestation, water pollution, resource depletion, ocean dead zones and species extinction.

Winnard said individuals have the power to engender change by embracing the personal as political and environmental.

“We want to educate the