1. Sharayah McDonald- Free Choice Response 1

 I am a Freshman at CNU, and very excited to be taking my first Environmental Studies college class! My first semester here I joined the Student Sustainability Commission (SSC). There are actually many people in our class who are also apart of the club. The club aims to transform CNU into a leader in sustainability, and join different groups of people together who are passionate about conservation and making environmental change on an individual level and school-wide. The commission is broken into smaller groups/teams of people who work on different projects together. My team is the Student Sustainability Network, and we collaborate with other clubs and organizations on campus to create events. Our big event in the first semester was a PLP Disco entitled "How to Lead a Sustainable Life". We created a presentation filled with facts, videos, images, and tips on changes students can make here at CNU to be more sustainable. We discussed the green to-go boxes students can take instead of single use boxes, and how the boxes are free. We informed students about the different recycling bins in the DSU for plastic bags, batteries, and ink cartridges, as well as what can be put in normal recycling bins at CNU. We also explained the importance of using the water filling stations around campus instead of buying single use bottles. Lastly, we shared personal habits we use to make small differences, such as using reusable grocery bags, shopping local and cruelty free, thrifting, walking or biking places, using plant based detergent, and turning off the lights/conserving energy. Not only are these switches better for the planet and society, they are healthy for you as an individual. Currently, we are interested in gathering a panel event that is PLP and Honors approved to discuss environmental racism, and collaborating with clubs and organizations on campus who are focused on racial justice. We are hoping to have a representative from each club we collaborate with on the panel, but we have to see who all is interested first. I am very grateful to belong to this organization and create campus events with others who have the same concern for the environment as me.  

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