ISU Earth Day enthusiasts enjoy various activities

Organizers welcomed the community to join in the annual Indiana State University Earth Day celebration on campus today.

The day of observance drew a large crowd. Hosted by the university’s Institute for Community Sustainability, the tradition reportedly gets bigger each year, with more than 3,000 attendees in 2015. The event  featured various vendors, activities, lunch on the Quad and a sustainability awards presentation.

Carrie Tauscher, acting community and urban forestry coordinator with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, was on campus to present a Tree Campus USA award. She was also assisting the university grounds crew distribute young trees to the crowd in honor of Arbor Day.

"A lot of people want them. We hope they get them in the ground this weekend," Tauscher said, adding that the seedlings are easy to care for once planted and can be expected to grow "vigorously."  "Seedlings establish much better than containerized or balled- and- burlapped trees, because they have the most root mass compared to the size tree that you're getting."

Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett has attended the campus celebration each year he's been in office. He said that participation is consistently tremendous and people want to be involved in making the community a better place.

"Talking about sustainability, talking about recycling -- that's a big thing right now that we're trying to deal with in the City of Terre Haute. We're just trying to make it a more 'greener' community."  He informed the crowd the the city is implementing a recycling program that will include eight to 10 drop-off sites.

ISU President Dan Bradley announced to the crowd that today's event is the biggest and most comprehensive Earth Day local celebration yet.

"Our campus is blessed with many people who take sustainability seriously," Bradley said.

A variety of musical entertainment, educational opportunities and games were on hand.  Around 50  vendors were stationed around the campus

Cheryl and Dave Lehman, of Bloomington, sell a variety of natural soaps at the event, which they say is always a success due to demand for the type of product.

"They're 100 percent natural; there are no man-made chemicals in them," Cheryl said, as a line of customers quickly formed at the booth for the business, Earth Drops.

Dave said that is what sets the products apart from what is sold in stores which typically include detergents and fragrances.

"Everything you smell is an essential oil or herb straight from the plant," he said, noting that their business, Earth Drops sells 25 different types of handcrafted soaps. They also sell five "Pet-able" types of natural soap. "We've been making soap for 20 years. My wife makes, develops every recipe, makes every bar. We cut them, I wrap them. We ship them all over the country. It's actually kind of crazy."

At a nearby booth, students ​Brianne Walters and Jordan Holmes, with the ISU Center for Bat Research, Outreach and Conservation fascinated attendees with facts on the winged creatures.

"Bats are really important for the environment,"  Walters said, noting that there is a misconception that they are 'scary.' "They eat a lot of insects -- the ones in Indiana do -- which in turn helps farmers.Some other bats around the world eat fruits, so they're really important for seed disbursal."

"Bats do not go after people. There's a myth that bats get in your hair and that bats want to drink your blood, and that's not true-- bats try to avoid people," she said.