Bruin Plaza became a bit greener Tuesday when student groups set up booths and held activities to educate community members on how they can create a more environmentally sustainable UCLA.

The event marked Earth Day, started in 1970 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson to make citizens aware of their impact on the earth’s natural resources, is observed globally every year on April 22.

Volunteers emphasized that there are simple steps that UCLA students can take to reduce their consumption of natural resources and be more friendly to the environment.

“At a university located in an urban setting, we often forget where our resources are coming from and the amount that we use up,” said Elise Waln, a second-year geography/environmental studies student.

Waln is a member of Ecology, Economy, Equity (E3), a statewide environmental student organization that has a chapter at UCLA and ran a booth at the event.

As part of an effort to encourage UCLA dining halls and restaurants to serve locally-grown produce, E3 handed out free fresh fruit to students walking to class.

Members of fraternities and sororities collected recyclables from students in a flier-free drive to promote Green for Greeks, a Greek life-centered environmental committee.

Jocy Keider, a first-year undeclared student and member of the Alpha Phi sorority, said little changes, such as making sure to recycle, can still have a big impact.

“We facilitate a forum for members of the Greek community to come together and discuss issues of sustainability and to find solutions,” said John Frost, a fourth-year history student who co-founded Green for Greeks at the start of spring quarter.

The committee seeks to help Greek houses cut down on waste and environmentally hurtful practices by eliminating Styrofoam kitchenware and providing recycling bins, since recyclable waste can easily accumulate after parties.

But, Frost said, changes need to be implemented carefully.

“We want to do this as efficiently and cheaply as possible. If these changes aren’t financially practical, they won’t last,” Frost said.

The undergraduate student government Student Welfare Commission’s Earth Committee collected used batteries, a commonly found environmental hazard.

“Students often don’t realize it’s illegal to throw batteries away because of dangerous chemicals in them. ... We can ensure that they are safely disposed of,” said Caitlin Nunn, a fourth-year sociology student and the co-director of the committee.

There are also battery disposal bins in Powell Library and Kerckhoff Hall to be used year round, Nunn said.

At the end of the event, organizers expressed the need for students to incorporate sustainable environmental practices in their daily lives, not just on Earth Day.

“We have an inherent responsibility, not only to ourselves but the whole global community,” Waln said.