Sustainability club was especially busy this year with numerous projects aimed at tackling environmental problems in the community, club advisor Michelle Wrona said. Their rummage sale earlier this year was a success, promoting the sustainable practice of reusing lightly used items, while also raising funds for upcoming events to make LT more earth-friendly.

“LT has a wonderful opportunity to make more changes with the help of Sustainability club,” Wrona said. “There are always improvements that can be made to make LT as clean as possible.”

For the LT community to make the change to sustainable practices, it is important to make the sustainable choice the easy choice, Wrona said. In April, the club collected money for a pollinator garden to be planted at NC.

“Dr. [Brian] Waterman recently approved our plan to have a native plant and pollinator garden on the east side of NC,” Wrona said. “Our goal is to raise enough money to buy more plants as well as a plaque to go in that area.”

One project to fund the garden was to sell seed bombs for $1, which were made by the club at one of their meetings. The seed bombs were made of potter clay, worm castings, water, and native prairie seeds like whorled milk-weed. The goal is that they are tossed into underutilized areas along fence lines and backyard areas to establish these plants and support native insects and wildlife, Wrona said. 

“The seed bombs we sold were a fun way to raise both awareness and funds,” Wrona said. “It gave people the opportunity to take them home, so they could create their very own pollinator gardens.”

The seed bombs were only one of many creative projects done by the club. They also sold T-shirts and placed vermiculture bins in different classrooms to reduce waste, while also raising awareness.

Keira Jensen ‘22 first took interest in Sustainability club due to the passionate community of students who care for the environment, she said. Whether it’s experimenting with bioplastics, planning fundraising events, or researching eco-friendly alternatives for LT, the club is always focused on bettering LT, she said.

“I joined because the members and leaders value taking action,” Jensen said. “We all understand the prevalence of making our community more sustainable and want to help the Earth. Every action or event we do contributes to furthering our mission towards an environmentally friendly neighborhood.” 

The club has taught Jensen that living a sustainable life is not limited to a couple of options, and anyone can make the change, she said.

“As I grew more involved in the club, I realized even more ways I could be helping the Earth,” Jensen said. “I love seeing the dedication club members have towards helping the environment and offering a welcoming community to share ideas.” 

The club meets every other Monday; their page on the LT website and Instagram, @lths.sustainabilityclub, will have the campus location and time listed. 

“Sustainability club is the platform for change, and we’re grateful for all who support us and all the students who attend one activity or every single meeting,” Wrona said. “Everybody is welcome.”