Drawing in passersby with a myriad of creative activities and colorful displays, dozens of students representing a number of earth-friendly organizations used Earth Day to promote sustainable business and life practices on campus Tuesday.

"The line hasn't stopped since we opened," said Marianne Martin, Assistant Director of CU's Environmental Center, referencing the number of students who volunteered to participate in the E-Center's drive to motivate congressional leaders to start taking pollution and climate-change issues seriously.

Under the "One Sky" campaign, students used cell phones or online pledges to contact a national congressional switchboard in Washington D.C. which logged their name, location, and issues of concern.

"I think people were really excited to see that there was an outlet for important issues," said Martin, "especially for climate change on a national and local level. I thought it was successful in terms of having a presence on campus and also in giving students a chance to express themselves."

As incentives for pledging to the various activities, student volunteers handed out free scoops of organic ice cream, Clif Bars, and compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). Hours following the event, Martin did not have exact results, but estimated that approximately 300 students participated in the One Sky campaign and 200 students signed CU Buffs Live Green pledges to receive CFLs.

The E-Center's activities, however, were among many other colorful, creative, and informative drives from several student organizations lining the UMC Fountain Square to get people involved with environmentally conscious efforts.

Amy Guinan, Representative for the Redirect Guide -- a phone book printed on 100-percent recycled paper and soy-based ink listing local "green" businesses and organizations -- passed out the free directories to raise awareness about sustainability.

"It's all about bringing people out to connect with green," said Guinan.

Under a bright yellow tent, an environmentally friendly skateboarding company called "Sector Nine" provided an active example of green business while encouraging students to use alternative forms of transportation that do not cause pollution.

Around the corner, CU Wildlands, CU Wildlife, and CU Rainforest Projects joined forces to provide students with information and activities regarding the preservation of local, national, and international habitats and wildlife.

"One of our upcoming activities is a camping trip to Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest to do an inventory that will, hopefully, get it declared as a national wilderness area," said Kathleen Fuller, Administrative Director and CU Sophomore.

The Square also hosted a number of student volunteers helping people register to vote. There were representatives from PUSH (Pursuing Universal Sustainability Here), a CU Community Studies elective allowing students to inform local businesses on how to go green; and from CU Bio-diesel, a student group building a bio-diesel processor that might soon be made available to CU students in order to create their own fuel.

"We got the Buff Buses to run off B-20, we got the administration to donate waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias to a company that turns it into bio-diesel, and we are building a processor that we will try to get students trained on using," said Josh Maynard, CU senior and Outreach Director for CU Bio-Diesel.Not far away from the UMC promotions, Norlin Quadrangle was brimming with its own bevy of Earth Day activities.

Amid such field games as ring toss, potato-sack races, three-legged races and Frisbee golf, the student volunteers representing the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) promoted their programs with a variety of creative events.

Students between classes were encouraged to stop for a few minutes and lend a hand to a selection of arts and crafts projects, including the painting of flowerpots and a banner that will soon be displayed in the UMC.

Volunteers from CoPIRG, such as Andrew Haffenreffer, CoPIRG intern and CU junior, used the activities as a way of introducing the organizations programs to raise awareness for hunger and homelessness, climate change, new voters, health care initiatives, and more.

"A lot of people say they don't have time to get involved," said Haffenreffer, capturing a common attitude among Earth Day volunteers, "but today is a chance to do something small -- and even doing something small helps."

Contact Lance Vaillancourt about this story at (303) 443-6272, ext. 125, or at vaillancourt@coloradodaily.com.