Third annual Earth Day event highlights sustainability initiatives at Sacramento City College

Chiara Karagianes, Staff Writer

May 8, 2025

A representative for Refill Madness, Autumn Churchill, poses next to the Earth Day-themed booth at the Sacramento City College Earth Day event, Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Sacramento, Calif.

With music, a clothing drive and a pledge tree blossoming with the promises to go green, this year’s third annual Earth Day event at Sacramento City College on Tuesday, April 22.

The event aimed to raise awareness around sustainability through interactive booths, while fostering a deeper connection to the planet.

Ileana Garcia, from the Sustainability and Environmental Club at City College, explained, “This is our biggest event [this year] … we help out the community with volunteer opportunities.” The Sustainability Club hosted a clothing drive, giving students a chance to recycle clothing for Earth Day conservation efforts.

Booths from both outside industries and school clubs attended the event. The Urban Community Forestry, Atlas, SMUD, Refill Madness, the Programming Club, the Fencing Club, Third Act Sacramento, the Sacramento Valley Conservatory, the MakerSpace, and many others came to support the effort.

As students explored booths, they learned about environmental efforts and made eco-pledges on the newly added pledge tree. A student at the event, Nayeli Guera, said, “I love events like this. … It is a fun way for students to get involved and meet people.”

Her friend, another student, Kylah Harris, said, “This was well put together with the ice cream, thrifting and free lunch ticket.”

Students line up to write pledges to engage in sustainability initiatives that contribute to protecting the planet during the Sacramento City College Earth Day event, Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Sacramento, Calif. (Chiara Karagianes)

Sophie Wheeler, the event planner and sustainability projects coordinator at City College, explained, “The main reason we have Earth Day [is to] celebrate the Earth, bring like-minded people together and have the campus community … learn about sustainability.”

Wheeler also expressed that Earth Day is a team effort with all the organization that goes into the event. From booths to selecting attendees, the event took about six months to organize from start to finish. Last year’s focus was on reducing the use of plastics, Wheeler said. “I think environmental justice would be a great theme to focus on [for next year],” Wheeler said.

The City College Programming Club Officer, Alex Yue, said, “The Programming Club is excited to promote sustainability solutions for Earth Day.”

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About the Contributor

Chiara Karagianes, Staff Writer

Chiara Karagianes is a staff writer for the Express. This is her first semester writing for the Express. She is interested in covering a wide range of topics, such as community events, media, history and politics. Chiara’s passion for journalism stems from her love of writing. She was homeschooled for her entire academic career, which gave her the freedom to explore different hobbies and passions. It was during this time that she discovered her love of writing essays and creative stories, which later evolved into an interest in journalism. By pursuing journalism, she hopes to shed light on important stories and inform the public. Growing up in Sacramento, Chiara wants to show others’ the uniqueness and diversity of the city’s events, buildings, and people. In the future, she hopes to work for the Sacramento Bee. She wants to capture the unique features of the city and bring a different perspective to the Express. Chiara plans on earning her associate degree, then transferring to Sacramento State to pursue her bachelor’s degree in journalism.