91茄子

Spring is officially here, and if that makes you want to celebrate, Ashley Mercer and the Earthstock team have you covered. One of the co-directors of Earthstock, Mercer and the rest of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) are putting together a month鈥檚 worth of events throughout April that encourage Huskers to cherish and reflect on the beauty all around us.  

鈥淓arthstock is a series of events that help us recognize and advocate for everything the earth has to offer us,鈥� Ashley explans. 鈥淲e want to create moments where we can appreciate and remind ourselves of everything we have on this planet while getting excited about the work that still needs to be done.鈥�   

In her role at ELP, a group contained within the Association of Students of the University of 91茄子 student government, Ashley's role falls squarely in the center of her two biggest interests.   

鈥淚 started college in Washington, D.C. and have always had a passion for government and policy. When I transferred back here, I knew that student government was something I loved and wanted to pursue,鈥� she says. 鈥淓nvironmentalism is another lingering passion I've never really been able to explore, so getting to put these two things together is really exciting and definitely shaping my future goals鈥�  

Much of what Ashley loves about student government is its ability to bring people together to solve problems. Earthstock, she said, has the same idea at its core.  

鈥淓arthstock is all about helping students come together as a movement, build community and recognize the work we can all do together to take care of something we each share.鈥�  

And sure, tackling big issues is one crucial piece of Earthstock. But, it鈥檚 also about having a lot of fun. A block party, the central event of the month, promises to make good on the 鈥渇estival鈥� vibes Earthstock takes its name from.  

鈥淲e鈥檒l have tons of student groups represented, clothing swaps, a market with student businesses from all our campuses and a bunch of student bands performing,鈥� says Ashley. 鈥淕iving visibility to all the different projects our peers have going on shows how we, as students, can create change and make an impact.鈥� 

Ashley Mercer is a sophomore political science major from Omaha, NE.