Held every October, Campus Sustainability Month celebrates sustainability in higher education around the world. Here on campus, EcoReps, an organization dedicated to furthering the university’s commitment to green living, does its part through an initiative called “No Impact Week."
Boasting a variety of interactive events, "No Impact Week" offers students the opportunity to learn how they can find eco-friendly alternatives on their campus and encourages the adoption of low or zero waste lifestyles.
Hannah Pribanic, a second-year global supply chain and operation management student, is the president of the Housing Sustainability Fellows, the leadership team under which EcoReps operates. She said the group is completely funded by the housing department and its goal this week was to challenge students to reduce their impact on the environment as much as possible.
"It's really awesome that we have that money because then we can focus on, you know, teaching people," Pribanic said.
Focusing on a different theme per day, each event looks to attract and engage students by being both informative and interactive.
One example from this week was “Tasty Tuesday," where students were encouraged to learn about different diets and the effects of food waste on the environment. The week will end with “Fresh Dorm Friday,” which suggests tips and tricks for living sustainably on campus and offers free plants and DIY reusable bags.
On Thursday, the EcoReps held a bake sale to not only raise awareness, but also money for the Green Space Initiative.Through this, they are hoping to donate a green space to either a nonprofit or another place in need.
While the recipient is still undecided, the organization is open to working with a local school in creating an outdoor classroom, mural or eco-brick structure. These eco-bricks, plastic bottles stuffed tightly with plastic bags, are also part of the EcoReps’ fall campaign about diverting plastic waste, and the club will be holding a green-themed bingo night later in the semester to fundraise for this initiative once more.
“I think how consumable everything is in our life. We just kind of throw it away. We don’t have to think about it again, you know?” community outreach manager Melissa Shugart, a second-year chemistry and Spanish student, said. “'It’s just a drop in the ocean,’ people like to say, but that’s all the ocean is, is just a lot of drops. So I think the impact that people can have is huge.”