The Brickyard was swarming with more than 50 vendors on Friday in celebration of Earth Day, which was Saturday. Vendors informed passing students about ways to respect the earth.

N.C. Green Power, who was baking cookies with a solar oven, also informed students about different renewable energy programs.

“Renewable energy is not in the future — it’s now,” Lyra Rakusin, of N.C. Solar Center, said. “The technology is available.”

Rakusin said renewable energy isn’t used more widely because people don’t know about it. She said people think it’s expensive and that there is no drive or desire for it when people already have cheap electricity.

An unusual sight of third-graders from Brentwood elementary school also caught the attention of students. The elementary students handed out homemade bracelets and demonstrated how pollution affects North Carolina rivers and drinking water.

Sheila Jones of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District helped the third graders learn about pollution and said they were bringing storm water pollution and solutions for it from the schoolyard to the Brickyard.

“Children learn more when they have to teach others,” Jones said.

Jones recited with the children what they learned with a rhyme: “Only rain down a storm drain, everything else is a pain.” The Herpetology Club drew a large crowd with their display of snakes crawling and slithering around students’ necks.

“It’s good to raise awareness and clear up misconceptions,” Jennifer Petitte, sophomore in zoology, said.

Clearing up misconceptions is what the Herpetology club hoped for.

“People come either not liking snakes or being afraid and leave holding and touching the snakes,” Zach Barfield, senior in natural resources and member of the Herpetology Club, said.

Several other vendors offered information about plants, cars run by vegetable oil, baby possums and entertaining games such as ‘Earthpong.’

Lindsay Killian, of the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, helped organize the event and said the main significance of Earth Day was awareness.

“If we sparked one person’s interest, we’ve done our job,” she said.

Erin Tracy, research technician in zoology, said she believes that these Earth Day events showed students that simple things can be applicable to everyday life.

“I think students care and sometimes just need a push,” she said.

This year’s Earth Day events were a success, according to Killian. She said it was the biggest Earth Day event yet and she hopes to see it continue to grow each year.

“Many hands make for a clean environment,” Jones said.