By Ryan Vasquez ⎹ Reporter
Students and staff in Baylor’s environmental science department are going green throughout April, which is globally recognized as Earth Month.
The undergraduate department of environmental science, as well as the student organization Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, are hosting events to raise awareness of sustainability.
The environmental science department will host “Sustainability in Action,” creating a pledge wall for students in the Baylor Sciences Building April 22. Students will come up to the table and write down notes on how they can pledge to help the planet and post them on the wall. The table will also have stickers and candy for students to take as they stop by.
Samantha Smith, administrative manager of the environmental science department, is the main organizer of this event. Smith has worked for the department for a year, since transferring from her position as diversity coordinator for Baylor Law School.
“I applied for this job because I wanted to stay in a role where I knew it was impactful,” Smith said. “And I know it was meant to be over here in environmental science.”
The department hosted the event last year as well, with a good turnout of students, Smith said. But even small events can bring awareness to Earth Day and Earth Month.
“I think bringing awareness, especially with everything that’s going on with our planet right now, global warming and all the things — it’s important for us to take care of the planet; it takes care of us,” Smith said.
Additionally, student organizations are gearing up for Earth Day activities. Gracen Collier, a graduate student from Charleston, S.C., is the president of Baylor’s chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. SETAC is a national organization that promotes graduate student research and involvement in environmental science.
The group will host multiple events during April, and one will extend out to the Waco community as well. BU-SETAC’s community cleanup is the most popular event, according to Collier.
“We’re having events with local Girl Scout Troops, which we do pretty frequently, but we’re actually in the process of hopefully adopting a park here in Waco,” Collier said. “We’re trying to decide which one, but we’ll get a little plaque and be able to go clean it up periodically, and we’re hoping that it’ll line up with Earth Day and we can go visit.”
Collier said she makes a conscious effort to practice sustainability year-round, not just during April. She also suggested ways for students to be mindful of the planet themselves.
“I know here, personally for me in Waco, I can only recycle two kinds of plastics,” Collier said. “I think keeping that into consideration when you’re buying things and trying not to buy plastic, but also not buying ones that you can’t recycle, is a good [practice]. And then also just [think] about energy usage.”
