When graduate student Bronson Bast came back to IU in 2018 to pursue masters’ degrees, the director of Sustain IU asked him to rejoin the office’s Student Sustainability Council in a leadership role.
As an undergraduate, Bast was a peer educator for Sustain IU and a member of the Sustainability Council, a student group that encourages environmental awareness at IU and administers student-funded improvement projects around campus. Bast said Sustain IU’s mission is to connect students, faculty and staff to improve sustainability issues.
“Sustainability Council fits in by bringing in the student prospective,” Bast said.
Bast and four other students make up the Student Sustainability Council executive board. Individual members and representatives from student groups make up the rest of the group.
The council is trying to revamp its projects’ scope and visibility. Bast said it has been difficult for students to interact with projects the group has funded in the past.
He said he would be interested in seeing students propose initiatives that would make everyday life at IU more sustainable, such as making the IU buses more environmentally friendly.
The council’s work is not just administering the student fund. Junior Cally Wilken said the council also works to make the IU community more aware of sustainability, especially people unaware of environmental issues.
“It’s kind of our job or the University’s job to teach its students about environment and environmental concerns,” Wilken said. “So that’s a big part of why we want these projects to be super visible, because it will educate students.”
Bast said traveling to the Philippines to serve in the Peace Corps opened his eyes to the social effects of climate change. He helped fishermen who were struggling to find fish because coral reefs in the area were dying.
“You just see the impacts and realize it’s the issue of our generation,” said Bast.
One of the council’s main responsibilities is administering the Student Sustainability Fund. Students can donate $5 to the fund when they enroll in classes every semester by billing the expense to their bursar.
The council uses the money to fund sustainability projects around campus, including energy efficient lights in Ballantine Hall and a rain garden at the Student Recreational Sports Center. Any student or IU employee can propose a sustainability project to council.
“I think it really pushes people to collaborate with other people that they otherwise wouldn’t collaborate with,” said board member Erin Arick, a senior studying marketing and international business.
Wilken said students will use what they learn about sustainability in college to live a more environmentally conscious life.
However, these lessons can also be applied to current day problems at IU. Bast said students can advocate for sustainability changes at IU in ways other community members cannot. Faculty and staff may have a difficult time suggesting new policies since they are employees of the University, while students have the freedom to request changes.
“If IU is going to be a leader in climate change action, students need to be there to advocate for those policies,” Bast said.
