On Saturday, March 29, late risers on campus may have noticed a visual transformation: a greener, cleaner, and overall more beautiful environment. This makeover was the result of Tech Beautification Day, an event dedicated to improving the aesthetics of Georgia Tech’s campus.
The Technique interviewed Kriss Ascencio-Parvy, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student and the Chair of the SGA Joint Sustainability Committee, about the significance of the event.
“Tech beautification day is just a day where students and any member of the Georgia Tech community gets to give back to our beautiful campus and be a part of what makes it such a beautiful campus,” Ascencio-Parvy said.
Participants were seen throughout campus, dressed in old T-shirts and shorts while wielding tools, water bottles, and sunglasses, eager to contribute to various hands-on projects suggested by different departments.
This year’s projects involved collaboration with the Landscaping Team, Georgia Tech Police Department, GT Athletics, and the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling, among others.
Ascencio-Parvy stressed the importance of ensuring that participants understood the meaningfulness of their contributions, as well as the immediate visibility of their efforts.
“Making sure that the department allowed us to communicate to the students the meaningfulness of their project and that the specific projects were hands-on and had an impact that was visible to the volunteers participating in it was important,” Ascencio-Parvy explained.
To maximize student participation on what is typically a day off, considerable coordination was involved.
“It took a lot of coordination just making sure that each department kind of was aware of the format of the event and knew what their role was,” she said.
“It was definitely a lot of work, dismissing the teams one by one, and then just making sure we have a giant map projected on the screen so people know where to go.”
Tech Beautification Day has a rich history at Georgia Tech, having been founded over 25 years ago by Tony Augusti.
Originally a small event run by sustainability-focused students, it has grown dramatically in participation over the years.
Augusti witnessed the event’s evolution into a gathering of 250 participants last year, and he also attended this year’s beautification day, reflecting on its lasting impact.
Post-COVID-19, the event transitioned to the hands of the SGA, ensuring its continuity for years to come.
Kickstarting the activities, President Cabrera delivered opening remarks, highlighting the transformation of the Eco-Commons area that was previously just a parking lot.
His address underscored the significance of green spaces on campus, emphasizing how they contribute to Georgia Tech’s uniqueness.
Beyond Tech Beautification Day, the SGA Joint Sustainability Committee actively promotes sustainability and efficiency throughout the campus year.
This year, the committee took advantage of the event coinciding with Greek Week to engage with the Collegiate Panhellenic Council (CPC) in their philanthropic efforts.
“We bridged communication between CPC and Campus Kitchens Project, so during the dinners that happen during the week, all the food that is left over gets packaged by the chefs of the house, and it is able to be picked up and donated,” Ascencio-Parvy shared.
While Tech Beautification Day dedicates a few hours to campus improvement, Ascencio-Parvy emphasized the need for students to play a role in maintaining campus beauty year-round.
“What’s important is to stay informed about what Georgia Tech does in the sustainability scene.
For example [it is important to know] how to dispose of your waste, whether you’re in your residence hall, or if you’re at the Student Center, or if you’re at a dining hall,” she said.
Looking to the future, Ascencio-Parvy hopes to introduce sustainability initiatives to incoming freshmen before they even register for classes.
“We’re really trying to include sustainability efforts specifically into FASET, so that when freshmen arrive on campus for the first time and are exposed to the Georgia Tech community in the most general sense that they are already informed on what sustainability looks like at Georgia Tech,” she remarked.
“We want sustainability to start at day one and then stick with people throughout their journey at Tech.”
image source from：https://nique.net/life/2025/04/12/tech-beautification-day-2/
