How SUU Sustainability Club Is Driving Positive Change On Campus

Southern Utah University's Sustainability Club is leading the charge in promoting sustainability on campus, rallying students and engaging with the community to enact positive change. Collaborating with the SUU Student Association (SUUSA), the club has made significant strides in advocating for the establishment of an official Office of Sustainability at SUU.

According to Shannon Eberhard, assistant director of Outdoor Pathways at SUU, the club's efforts have included passing student legislation and initiating dialogues with campus administration to push for the creation of this vital office. Despite being the only campus of its size in Utah without an official sustainability office and coordinator, SUU students are dedicated to driving change.

Om Meta, former student senator and chair of the SUUSA Sustainability Committee, has played a pivotal role in advancing these initiatives. Alongside Sustainability Club Presidents Natasha Anderson and Annie Weight, Meta has worked tirelessly to translate ideas into tangible strategies that benefit the entire campus community.

Meta highlighted the success of initiatives such as a sustainability survey, which garnered over 500 responses, and a well-attended sustainability rally in March, receiving coverage from local press outlets. Moreover, the Sustainability Club has actively supported community projects like maintaining the campus community garden.

The SUU Community Garden Club, under the mentorship of Ben Cozzens and Eleanor Smith, has significantly contributed to expanding SUU’s sustainability efforts. In addition to growing food for campus and community members, the club collaborates with SUU’s Dining Services to collect and compost food scraps, diverting over 2.8 tons of food from landfills in 2023.

Looking ahead, Eberhard stressed the club's dedication to advancing SUU’s sustainability goals, including establishing an official campus sustainability committee and potentially hiring a dedicated sustainability coordinator. These efforts will focus on implementing practices like campus recycling, energy efficiency, and waste reduction.

Through initiatives like the Sustainability Club and the Community Garden Club, SUU students are actively shaping a more sustainable future for their campus and beyond.