This October, sustainability week is returning to campus with new participants and 13 events to raise awareness while building student community around the cause.
The events will kick off on Sunday, Oct. 19 with “Steps for Sustainability,” a hike led by ACC and LEAP from 2-4 p.m. at the Conrad Formal Gardens. Festivities will conclude the following Sunday, Oct. 26 with Ecorep’s “Trash Talks” from 2-5 p.m.
John Day, president of the Student Sustainability Council (SSC) and senior majoring in psychology and English literature, said this year’s lineup has greatly expanded compared to previous years of the program. New student organizations and university departments have also become plugged in.
“We got a lot of engagement this year with all the green organizations, and the office of sustainability is doing an event or two,” Day said. “So we just really have a lot of engagement.”
Monday, Oct. 20 is packed with events hosted by these organizations and departments. The day will begin with tabling in Armstrong Student Center at 11 a.m. and a guest lecture about nature and technology from 12-1 p.m. in Shideler Hall. Alex Miller, student sustainability coordinator and masters of biology student, said she supported students and departments in the planning process of events.
“Having really active student organizations is great,” Miller said. “We have a lot of really excited presidents this year.”
Miller will be hosting a service project with student organization Green Team – taping lithium batteries to prevent pollution and safety hazards – while enjoying a movie in Armstrong at 2 p.m. Later in the day at 5 p.m., students will get the opportunity to share their vision for a sustainable campus while building legos in Armstrong with the office of sustainability. Monday will conclude with a beehive walk at 6 p.m. behind Boyd Hall.
Day and Miller plan to keep engagement going throughout the week with a sustainability scavenger hunt. Students can earn entries by completing tasks and submitting photos of themselves at sustainability week events to a Google form to earn entries into a raffle for a hammock and $50 gift card.
Events will continue into the middle of the week at “Waste Education” with CASC on Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Armstrong and “Touch Grass,” featuring outdoor activities on the seal with Associated Student Government on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 12-3 p.m.
The second half of the week is hosted by Ecoreps and MEPA. Junior zoology major and combined masters of environmental science student Samantha Besel serves as Ecoreps president, and said she is excited about the engagement that the organization will see during the upcoming sustainability week.
The group will host a “S’more About Sustainability” event Thursday, Oct. 23 from 2-5 p.m. at Armstrong, where students can come make s’mores while learning about sustainability. Their “Trash Talks” event on Oct. 26 will give students the opportunity to participate in a trash audit at dorm halls. The group will determine where mistakes have been made in the recycling process and aim to educate students and correct these mistakes going forward.
“These sustainability events are really big for our organization, so it’s really key that we have [people] attend and participate, both our members and students that are not a part of Ecoreps or any sustainability organizations,” Besel said. “Them engaging with us is very helpful.”
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The event on Saturday, Oct. 25 is a collaboration between MEPA and Ecoreps for students to enjoy Butterfield Farms together from 2-5 p.m. Miller said this type of collaboration and initiative brought to campus by student leaders in sustainability is something unique to Miami.
“This is such a student driven and organized week of events,” Miller said. “Sometimes you forget that once you’re in the culture. To some people, that’s not what they’re used to, having such student support and excitement about it.”
Information about sustainability week events can be found on the Student Sustainability Council’s Instagram page and banners around campus.
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