Night Market Goes Environmentally Friendly

This year’s Night Market, sponsored by the Chinese Students Club, featured a variety of student groups promoting their causes, performances from Chinese yo-yo to rock bands, and an emphasis on environmental conservatism.

According to Hillary Shih, CC ’11 and Night Market organizer, the Club used LED lights and biodegradable utensils made of corn material to cut down on energy consumption and waste in order to make the event environmentally friendly. These alternative materials were more expensive and required more time and effort, she said.

“Events like this create a lot of waste ... so we’re trying to eliminate the amount of non-recyclable waste that we produce,” Shih said. Instead of purchasing streamers, CSC members spent two weeks collecting out-of-date flyers on campus and using them to fold origami cranes by hand, which they then strung up underneath their tents on Low Plaza.

The event featured the expected East Asian student cultural groups, such as the Asian American Alliance and the Korean Students Association, but humanitarian and political groups were also present.

“We tried to reach out to all fraternities and sororities,” Tiffany Chen, CC ’10 and CSC president, said. “We also tried to reach out to a lot more ethnic and cultural groups and all political groups.”

Anabell Martinez, CC ’09, who manned a table at Night Market, explained that her group, cleverly named ΔGDP—short for Growth and Development Project—supports the growth of small businesses in developing countries.

“We’re trying to bring fair trade products to Columbia—not just food products, but all sorts of products to sell, maybe at the bookstore or at JJ’s Place,” Martinez said. “We think that empowering businesses in Asia, Africa, and Latin America is a better way to get them to develop in terms of having them be more self-sufficient.”

Several tables away, two students gyrated to the psychedelic neon lights and funky disco music of a Dance Dance Revolution game hosted by the DDR Club.

At one corner of the tent, Annie Tan, CC ’11 and an organizational committee member for Asian American Alliance, tried to persuade students to take part in a food contest inspired by television show Fear Factor.

“It’s where we bring a wide assortment of weird Asian-American delicacies that a lot of people at Columbia would not find delicacies,” Tan said. To win a free iPod nano, contestants needed to eat several dishes.

“Our third round will be pig’s uterus,” Tan said. “Our fourth round is nato, which is a Japanese fermented soy concoction. I personally do not like it very much, and our last round will be a blended mixture of all four [rounds] plus some beautiful vegetables. It will be delicious.”

A small stage occupied the center of Low Plaza, and as the night went on a number of dance groups and bands had the chance to perform.

“We’re very excited to be playing here,” said Chip Thomas, the drummer for the rock band Paperdoll. “We’ve played at Columbia before, but never at this kind of event.”

A sizable audience gathered to cheer as members of the Chinese Yo-Yo Club juggled and twirled their spinning tops, followed by dance routines from Raw Elementz and Taal.

The event concluded with CSC members throwing banana cream pies at the face of Chen, their president.

“Not only did they get my face, but they also mashed it all up in my hair,” Chen said.

david.xia@columbiaspectator.com