Pejman Mokhtari
The Associated Students Organization put together the first ever G3: Go Green Get-together event last month to promote the recycling program at Pierce.
ASO President Christian Marfil-Amatulli said the purpose of this event was to bring “more awareness on campus” and to focus not only on recycling, but “everything regarding sustainability.”
“The money from the recycling is going to the ASO fund to promote another recycling day on April 20, 2009-Earth Day,” he said.
Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generations of meeting their own needs.
Cost of admission to the event was a minimum of four recyclable items.
“You go around campus seeing people throwing plastic bottles in the trash when they could be recycling it,” said Jaslyn Pajounia, 20. “(The program is) not only benefitting our school, it’s benefitting our planet.”
The event contained free food, live entertainment and a show by DJ Dynamic. There was also a raffle of two iPods and three flash drives donated by Joe Lucas of the BuildLACCD program.
“It’s the least we could do for the students, ” Lucas said. “I wish we could’ve donated a hybrid.”
Lucas works to “support the student leadership here at Pierce College and their role in getting students involved in this growing green revolution.”
He explained that the BuildLACCD is looking to engage the campus in a nationwide college recycling competition called “recycle mania.”
Royal Events contributed to the function by providing “green” tablecloths for the dinner tables.
Pierce students Victoria Banks, 20, and Kristen Beck, 17, attended G3, which Banks said “was awesome”.
“It would’ve been more fun if there was more people,” said Banks, who enjoyed the free food and music at the event.
Beck brought a trash bag filled with water bottles to recycle.
The live entertainment was provided by a heavy-metal band, “California Special,” comprising James Key, 21, Hassan Pourahmad, 20, Epitacio Rodriquez, 20, and Byron Russell, 21.
Rodriquez, who said the audience reaction was great, said “California” wanted to put their “names with an event that had something to do with saving the earth.”
Pourahmad said, “I heard women screaming.”
The members of “California” have their own way of recycling to make the planet more “green.”
“We recycle our beer cans to get more beers,” Key said.
However, some students reaction to the band was not positive like Laarni Ramirez, 17, who said she “doesn’t really like the band.”
Though the event came to a hault when the fire alarm went off at 9 p.m. due to a fog machine, according to Deputy Al Guerrero of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, it eventually continued when the building was deemed safe.
So, until the next “green” day, Lucas leaves with his last words when it comes to recycling, “put up or shut up.”
Epitacio Rodriquez, guitarist and vocalist of “California Special,” plays at the G3 event in the Great Hall on Nov. 20. ()