Not only is October peak college football season and the lead-up to Halloween, but it’s also Campus Sustainability Month (CSM)—a celebration of the progress UMD has made to foster a sustainable campus environment, raise awareness of sustainability efforts, and engage the campus community.
Throughout the month, there are numerous events encouraging participation in key sustainability programs like Green Chapter, Green Labs, and the Sustainability Badge. CSM also celebrates the actions already being taken at the individual level. At UMD, Terps easily carry reusable water bottles across campus, use buses or scooters to get to class, and properly sort their waste in labeled collection bins. Actions like these add up, no matter how mundane or simple they may seem.
So, how exactly can Terps celebrate CSM, make lower-impact choices, and ultimately be the change they wish to see? Here are some ways to participate, both this October and during their time at UMD.
The Green Terp Bucket List Challenge
The Green Terp Bucket List Challenge launched last year and was inspired by the M-book challenge. Undergraduate students can join via the Canvas page and snap photos or respond to prompts to complete each challenge. There are four sections with five items each: Campus Locations, Campus Events, Climate Anxiety & Wellness, and Individual Challenges. After completing each section, students can collect unique enamel pins, and after finishing all sections, students can earn a green cord to wear at graduation. Follow @greenterp on Instagram for more information.
Campus Sustainability Month Celebration
On Thursday, October 15th from 11 am to 1 pm in Hornbake Plaza, the Office of Sustainability is hosting the fourth annual Campus Sustainability Month Celebration. Join the fun and participate in interactive activities, learn about sustainability clubs and organizations, enjoy freshly spun cotton candy, and visit the Outreach Bike (where you can pick up the pins and cords earned from the Green Terp Bucket List Challenge!).
The Green Game
October 17th is not only Homecoming and a BIG Ten football game against Rutgers, but it’s also the first-ever Green Game. Maryland Athletics and UMD’s Office of Sustainability are partnering to educate fans on how to reduce their gameday impact. Environmental costs from transportation to the game and waste generation quickly add up, so education is crucial to make athletic events as low impact as possible. Some of the first Terps fans who properly sort their waste into landfill, recycle, and compost streams will get a new Under Armour T-shirt commemorating the inaugural event.
Academics: Majors and Minors
UMD has sixteen majors, seventeen minors (including the Sustainability Studies Minor), and twenty-two graduate programs all uniquely connected to sustainability. There is something for everyone, including policy, economic, and science-focused programs. If you are interested in expanding your horizons and your resume, review the full list and consider joining one of these programs. Or, take one of the unique classes UMD offers like ENCE215: Engineering for Sustainability and ANTH266: Changing Climate, Changing Cultures to learn how sustainability connects to different majors and future careers.
Student Organizations
At UMD, students can join over 900 clubs and organizations, many of which are dedicated to sustainability. Organizations like the Sustainable Ocean Alliance work to raise awareness of ocean pollution by hosting weekly cleanups across campus. The Food Recovery Network diverts leftover food from dining halls and provides meals to those in need. There are hundreds of other sustainability-focused organizations, so make sure to check out the full list!
Lower Your Ecological Footprint
UMD’s institutional commitment to reducing its environmental footprint is important, but so is individual action. A person’s ecological footprint measures the natural resources required to support a person’s consumption and waste. This is determined by diet, material consumption like shopping, transportation use, and much more. By taking advantage of UMD’s sustainable initiatives, students, staff, and faculty can actively limit their negative environmental impacts. Take the quiz to find out your ecological footprint and ways to reduce it.
