by Naomi Zelle, News Correspondent
Student groups are coming together Wednesday for this year’s Campus Sustainability Day to continue promoting green practices in everyday student life.
“The goal of the day is to showcase and demonstrate what Northeastern is doing, what individuals can do, and what student groups are doing regarding sustainability on and off campus,” said Carol Rosskam, sustainability manager. “We want to provide resources and have a little bit of fun with it.”
The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Centennial Common. Students and faculty can eat organic, sustainably-grown food, hear about bike safety and alternate methods of travel, and win prizes such as fluorescent light bulbs from the event’s raffle.
“We’re hoping that this year, by doing something involved with student groups, centrally located, and with food, hopefully we’ll have some people stop by,” Rosskam said.
One of the more prominent events is the jerrycan challenge, hosted by NU’s Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. The challenge, originally part of Human Rights Week, consists of carrying a 44-pound jerrycan, a fuel container used in developing countries to transport water, on a quarter-mile course around campus.
While the challenge is entertaining to both watch and participate in, Engineers Without Borders puts the event on to raise awareness about the issues being tackled by their group, the group’s president, Ann Polaneczky, said. The Northeastern chapter of the nationwide organization focuses on helping developing communities in Honduras and Uganda by improving their water infrastructures.
“Instead of having pipes that carry water to their homes, they walk miles to a source of water such as a river or spring, and carry it back in heavy jerrycans,” Polaneczky said.
The event will also serve as an unveiling of some new campus programs. A new program called NU Create Awareness and Understanding of Social Engagement Careers (nuCAUSE Careers) will be launched at Campus Sustainability Day.
“It’s really all about the social arm of sustainability and linking it with career opportunities, and it’s directly from Northeastern Career Services,” Rosskam said.
The Student Government Association (SGA) will also be promoting a new movement towards office sustainability.
“We are launching the Green Office Certification initiative in October, so our table at Campus Sustainability Day will be focused on promotion of that event, as well as education on office sustainability, and information on how faculty and student groups can become Green Office Certified,” said Caroline Malcolm, SGA director of sustainability initiatives.
Members of these organizations are well versed in the issues surrounding sustainability on campus as are some students, even though some hadn’t heard of the event.
“I wasn’t aware that this event was taking place, but I am aware of what’s being done on campus to make it greener,” said Jackie McKendry, a freshman psychology major.
Organizers of the event said they hope the event will be informative and help students learn how to have a greener lifestyle.
“It’s an opportunity to educate about these issues and ensure that graduates are well versed in the issues,” Rosskam said. “So that when they go out in the world, they can better understand how to integrate them into their daily decisions and hopefully be a positive change.”
