Celebrating Earth: ASU employee highlights sustainability through “Earth Day Every Day” design contest

Molly Van Ness, an office specialist senior with the Global Features Laboratory at Arizona State University, has been named the winner of University Sustainability Practices’ “Earth Day Every Day” design contest, an annual initiative that was created by the department to promote sustainability through creative expression. 

Van Ness’ design, titled “Celebrate Earth: The Ground Above.” focused on inspiration from Arizona’s natural landscape and was painted on the exterior windows of the Tempe Sun Devil Fitness Complex.

“Just by living in Arizona, we are seeing, experiencing, feeling and acknowledging our nature,” she said. “By doing this, it shows we care, and that really is a way we can celebrate Earth every day.” 

Van Ness incorporated native plants, animals and minerals to reflect the community and pieces of Earth that ASU has added to all of their campuses. 

The design she created has layered imagery within each letter of the word “Earth” to represent different elements of the Arizona ecosystem. From aquatic species, land animals and sky creatures, to copper and turquoise, these are things that all work together to create the amazing ecosystem we have on campus now. 

“We have to look at sustainability from all layers, the ground and above,” Van Ness said. 

Her work also reflects the mission that the Global Futures Library is trying to achieve, where sustainability is a system-based challenge. Van Ness went into detail about how sustainability is a process of balance. Whereas the individuals who live in this ecosystem must consider the actions and impact of their everyday choices and how they can return to the environment as well. 

“Sustainability really means carefully balancing,” She said. “What we take from nature, we should give back.”

Graphic made by: Molly Van Ness