UNCA Students Organize Asheville's Earth Day Festival and Campus Greenfest Events

Ten UNC Asheville students have spearheaded the coordination of this year's Earth Day
Festival in downtown Asheville. Set for 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at City-County
Plaza, the free event will feature a variety of events for the community, including environmental
information booths, workshops, speakers, food vendors, a silent auction and music by local and
regional bands.

The students, who are all members of UNCA's environmental student group, Active
Students for a Healthy Environment (ASHE), have been planning the event since last semester.
"A core group of about 10 students have done a majority of the most complex work," said Travis
O'Guin, ASHE co-chair and UNCA junior environmental studies major. "I've been impressed at
how hard these students have been working to make this festival happen. They've been busy
fundraising, hanging posters, recruiting volunteers and so much more."

O'Guin puts the long hours of work into perspective. "We're expecting around 5,000
people to attend the Earth Day Festival. That means that each of the 10 of us will make a
difference for 500 people that day. That's an amazing opportunity."

Proceeds from the celebration will benefit local environmental organizations, including
Clean Water for North Carolina, Dogwood Alliance, Mountain Land Conservancy and WNC
Alliance.

Local businesses donated cash and in-kind gifts. Major sponsors include Bio-Wheels,
Earth Guild, French Broad River Brewing, Kinko's, Mellow Mushroom, Octopus Garden,
Orange Peel and Urban Burrito.

Earth Day kicks off UNCA's annual Greenfest, a weeklong festival of events. Since its
beginning in 1991, Greenfest participants have added more than 400 trees, 14 trails and hundreds
of plants to the UNCA campus and the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Last year, students helped
create a natural buffer zone between Glenns Creek and W.T. Weaver Blvd. All events are free
and open to the public.

Greenfest Events on Campus:

-- "Bio-Dome," a comical movie about two people who find themselves trapped in a
biosphere, will be shown at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 20, in the Humanities Lecture Hall. The event
is co-sponsored by Sigma Nu and UNCA's Student Life.

-- Robert A. Eidus, president of North Carolina Ginseng and Goldenseal Company, will
host a discussion and screen a video on natural herbs and their medicinal values at 12 p.m.
Monday, April 21, in the Dining Hall, Private Dining Room 100. The event is co-sponsored by
UNCA's Student Government and the North Carolina Ginseng and Golden Seal Company.

-- An agricultural conservation program will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in the
Laurel Forum, located on the main floor of Karpen Hall. "Agriculture and Conservation on the
upper French Broad River, " is a program that assists landowners in applying conservation
methods to their land by demonstrating real situations and how a solution was achieved. The
event is co-sponsored by UNCA's Student Life and Natural Resources Conservation Services.

-- Bob Twomey, District Conservationist for Transylvania County, will lead a
discussion and multimedia presentation on "Multiple Use Concept of the French Broad River" at
8 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in Ramsey Glass House, adjacent to Ramsey Library. The talk will
focus on potential uses for rivers in western North Carolina and issues such as flooding and
watershed management. The event is co-sponsored by UNCA's Student Government and Natural
Resources Conservation Services.

-- Two student service project initiatives will take place to help restore natural beauty
to the UNCA campus, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 24. Participating students will be involved in projects such as wetland restoration and trail renewal. The event is
co-sponsored by UNCA's Student Government, Facilities, Underdog Productions and Sigma Nu.

-- Robert A. Eidus, president of North Carolina Ginseng and Goldenseal Company, will
host a discussion on "Endangered Plants" at 12 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Dining Hall, Private
Dining Room 100. The event is co-sponsored by UNCA's Student Government and the North
Carolina Ginseng and Golden Seal Company.

Media Contacts:

• Travis O'Guin, Earth Day Festival Coordinator, 828/216-6967
• Chris Bubenik, Greenfest Coordinator, 828/251-6587 (office) or 828/225-7371 (home)
• Merianne Epstein, UNCA Public Information Director, 828/251-6676