by Steven Wild, Green Student Intern | November 16, 2015
Though it’s hard to fathom, this fall term is already coming to a close, and students have begun setting their schedules for spring semester. As you start to make your own plans for the upcoming spring, be sure to consider some of the following opportunities to become a change agent in the Ole Miss environment. With around a dozen different organizations to choose from, there are a multitude of outlets for students interested in environmental activism to plug in and make a difference here at the university.
Students for a Green Campus (SGC) is an umbrella organization focused on a range of different issues pertaining to environmental sustainability. Among other things, SGC supports the UM Office of Sustainability and Green Fund, leads volunteer efforts on campus and in the Oxford community, and coordinates activism with national and global campaigns for environmental justice. Upcoming events include a film screening fundraiser at Lamar Lounge, a highway cleanup event, and a campus demonstration commemorating the upcoming UN Climate Negotiations.
Real Food Rebels is a sustainability group devoted to promoting a “real” food culture on campus by engaging the administration and student body in a constructive discourse regarding the importance of ecologically friendly and healthy food production in campus dining facilities. In the past, Real Food Rebels has sponsored a farm tour of the nearby Yokna Bottoms Farm.
Members of the newly founded UM Garden Club work in the campus garden behind Residential College South to grow fresh produce to donate to the UM Food Bank. Since its inception, the club has begun to reach out to partnering community organizations to help promote sustainable agriculture and food culture not only on the Ole Miss campus, but also in the city of Oxford and surrounding region.
For those students passionate about environmentally-friendly transportation, there is the Ole Miss Cycling group. Others who enjoy hiking, canoeing, kayaking, or anything else wilderness-related can join Ole Miss Outdoors to continue pursuing their hobbies with other like-minded naturalists. Those who want to know more about birds and bird watching can join up with the Ole Miss Birders. Even graduate students have a chance to get involved with groups like the Ole Miss Environmental Law Society. In short, whatever your interests, there’s a group for you!
Obviously, there’s no shortage of ways in which motivated students concerned about sustainability at Ole Miss can take action to make our campus climate a greener place to live, work, and study—and there’s no better time to take action than now!