BY EMILY HARRISON / KALAMALAMA STAFF WRITER
If you’re anything like me, the word “sustainability” brings great dread to your heart. Not because of the word itself, but the association with dreary projects in school.
Well, if that’s the case, I have some good news for you! I’m going to bring a new light to that word.
Do you consider yourself to be sustainable? Does it bother you when the world surrounding you is not? Would you like to change that fact?
Well now you can! The Leaders for a Sustainable Future (LSF) has made that their mission.
There’s a brand-new club at HPU, and they want to share and spread their message!
So, if you care about making a difference for not only our next generation, but the current generation for ALL species, then listen up!
Founding the Club
Leigha Dick and Samantha Talbot were at a small event at HPU, for students who were interested in starting a club. This event allowed students to come in and talk about new rules that will be put in place and how the system of a club works. There, the two young women met, and they had a similar idea that sprouted into The Leaders for a Sustainable Future.
Leigha is pursuing one of the newer majors offered here at HPU, conservation ecology and evolutionary biology (CEEB), quiet a mouthful I know.
Sam is a marine biology major, as many HPU students are, including myself.
These majors are a perfect balance between land and sea sustainability. No wonder they started such a club!
The Organization of a Well Rounded Club
For us students who have been at HPU for a while now, these club leaders are some familiar faces. They are very sociable and out and about at HPU. For those students who are newer to campus let me give a brief introduction to some of the officers.
The president of LSF is miss Leigha Dick, as I said before she is a CEEB major.
Arrix Rios is the vice president of LSF, and his major is electrical engineering, focused on sustainable engineering.
And of course, Sam Talbot who is the secretary like I said early has a marine biology major.
What is the point of stating this? Well, no matter what range of majors you may have, there’s plenty of ranges of majors right in the leadership of the club! Don’t be afraid if it sems your interest of study has nothing to with sustainability! If you have a curiosity, then you can have the passion.
Sustainability is more than the word, it’s a collaboration of all kinds of people working together to make a difference.
Sustainable Projects
Now, don’t be discouraged just because leadership positions have been filled, such is the way when founding a new club, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make a noticeable difference!
Most recently, LSF hosted a clothes swap, a secondhand thrift event. If you were tired of any old clothes you brought to college, and were interest in some new (free) clothes, this was the perfect place to be!
But don’t worry! They do plan on having another event like this!
Maybe you’re more interested in getting your hands dirty? Perfect! Later this semester they will be doing some hands-on projects.
Interested in beach cleanups? Or perhaps removing some invasive algae clean ups? This is the place!
I know a lot of us want to make a difference. We want to make a mark. But figuring out who to contact for any of this is incredibly difficult. Lucky for you, this club is where you need to be! You can do your part, and not have to deal with the stress on finding the correct resources!
Beaches will be removed of harmful plastics and other trash, and it will be put in proper recycling or compost bins.
Every bit of algae removed with be repurposed for compost! As a sustainability club we wouldn’t dream of wasting such a resource.
Important Things to Know About a Sustainable World
This club isn’t just about projects, it’s also about education. Many of us know how sustainability is becoming a dying art, and many of us know that there are secret polluters that most of us don’t perceive.
LSF wants to help everyone learn about the industries that affect our planet the most. Whether it be carbon emissions from cars or fast fashion or even overgrowth of harmful endangering and invasive plants or even animals.
We need to be able to work together to make a difference, we need to better educate ourselves and the community around us before we run out of resources and before we lose important things in our everyday lives.
LSF wants to bring back species that have been forced out of their homes, whether that be by invasive plants or animals, or pollutants that we have left behind.
A reverse must be made, and the standstill we are edging towards isn’t enough, a step froward into the world of sustainability is the direction we need to go.
How you can get Involved
It’s not too late to sign up, or even to dip your feet in the waters of LSF, you can easily contact their team and see if this club is a good fit for you.
Have any unanswered questions? Contact them at their email: lsf.hpu@my.hpu.edu or DM their Instagram page @hpu.lsf.
If you’re unsure about your major (or what to do after you finish your degree) and have a deep passion for sustainability, then check out this club. There’s nothing to fear! Only a new world to learn about!
Join today, make a difference for tomorrow!
