Earth Fair Intern Reflections: A Community Upcycled Nature Mural Experience

The Sustainability Institute was incredibly lucky, and grateful, to have two amazing interns from UW-La Crosse working as 2026 Earth Fair interns. Their goal? Create an interactive experience at Earth Fair that incorporated art and provided a welcoming experience to all fair goers.

Both seniors, Kaden Leonard and Sarah Dollak, brought enthusiasm, drive and creativity to this internship, something we saw from very early on when planning began in February. They conceptualized what the project would be, planned the logistics, built the framework, and found partnerships to bring their idea to life. With no surprise their outcome - a Community Upcycled Nature Mural - was a big success.

Incorporating a photo opportunity, the interactive art piece became a front and center aspect of this year's Earth Fair engaging our community in building together. Better yet, their work will now live on past Earth Fair, as the two mural pieces will be showcased this summer at the Holmen and Onalaska Public Libraries for more to enjoy.

Thank you to both Sarah and Kaden for your creativity and hard work making this project a success.

You can read both of their reflections on the internship, project, and Earth Fair below.

From Kaden:

Over the past four months, I’ve had the opportunity to intern with the Sustainability Institute. This experience started back in January and wrapped up this past Sunday with our event, Earth Fair. We welcomed over 2,200 community members who showed up to celebrate, learn, and support our planet. Seeing that turnout was incredible on its own, but watching people interact with a project I helped bring to life made the day unforgettable.

What began as a simple idea, a recycled community art mural, turned into a full-circle moment. From coordinating with local partners to source materials, to working with families and kids at the event, to finding the mural a permanent home in two public libraries after Earth Fair, this project pushed me creatively, professionally, and personally. There were definitely moments where I felt lost or unsure, but I was never doing this alone. I had an amazing partner and a supportive team who believed in the vision and helped make it real. When the first few people arrived on Sunday morning and immediately showed excitement for the mural, every late night and planning session felt worth it.

This internship taught me how to take an idea from concept to planning and execution, how to engage a community through storytelling and design, and how meaningful sustainability work becomes when people feel invited to participate. I’m grateful for the experience, the mentorship, and the chance to create something that will continue living in the community long after the event.

From Sarah:

Although I completed my Environmental Sustainability minor last semester, I knew I didn’t want to go a semester without continuing to work toward my (somewhat cliché, but deeply important) goal of “saving the environment.” That motivation is what led me to take on this project. From the initial brainstorming stages to seeing everything come together, the process was driven by creativity and a genuine passion for environmental stewardship. The creative aspect, in particular, was the most meaningful part for me from beginning to end. This project not only allowed creativity but depended on it, as we aimed to engage community members of all ages. We also wanted to highlight that caring for the environment can take many forms. Through the murals, we created a natural backdrop that encourages people to think about nature, while incorporating recycled and upcycled materials to demonstrate how everyday waste can be transformed into something meaningful and beautiful. 

In the end, the project turned out exactly as I had hoped. We built a sense of community by inviting people of all ages to contribute by adding handprints, sharing reflections on what they love about nature, and repurposing materials that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill. While the final artwork was beautiful, the process of creating it and witnessing community engagement was just as impactful. The murals will also graciously live on at two of the public libraries, spreading these ideals even further. One important step toward environmental change is helping others recognize both the need for action and their connection to the environment, and this project helped cultivate that awareness.