On Friday, Dec. 1, the Earth Club hosted its first annual Cli-Met Gala, which aimed to plant the seeds of awareness about the environment and elucidate the club itself. The club’s president, Carissa Herb, wanted to ensure that the event welcomed all and pushed the importance of our planet in a hospitable way.
The Cli-Met Gala started as an event to raise awareness for climate change, but it developed a charitable purpose as well.
“We named it the Cli-Met Gala because this is an event to raise awareness, then we transitioned it into a way to raise funds for our Dollar for Solar Campaign,” Carissa Herb said.
Twenty-seven tickets were sold that night and the Earth Club raised close to $100.
“The proceeds from the tickets go straight to Sky [Dollar for Solar] the organization in South Africa,” Herb said.
Dressed in semi-formal attire, guests entered the Faculty Lounge greeted with holiday music and food. Food was catered by the Earth Club.
“Everything is vegan, it is big for us because animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of pollution in the world,” Herb explained. “So I wanted to make sure that what we are giving to people matches what we stand for.”
Alexia Dolamakian, an active member of the Earth Club, created plant based truffles that were garnished with almond shavings, baby’s breath and a side compote of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
“Another reason we chose to serve vegan food for this event was to familiarize people with it,” Dolamakian said.
The Cli-Met Gala is only an extension of the initiatives that the Earth Club is a part of at the University. They also run the campus garden, participate in food-waste challenges and participate in RecycleMania, which is a nationwide competition during the spring.
“We start other initiatives on campus like the charging stations, which are solar-powered tables that are placed around campus,” Herb shared. The solar-powered tables was a project pushed by Herb with the help of Dolamakian in collaboration with the Organization of Sustainability.
Following the Cli-Met Gala, the hope and forecast of the club seems to change that. The Cli-Met Gala was to serve as a platform to create a presence for the club. “The Cli-Met Gala was an event to celebrate Earth Club, what they have accomplished and also an event to celebrate fellowship,” Dolamakian said.
The Earth Club stands as the voice of the planet at St. John’s University. The Cli-Met Gala was a way to reach and educate members, new members and guests about the power of caring for the planet.
