The new Environmental Concerns Organization is now at Saint Xavier University. It was founded by its president, Evan Held, and the rest of its current officers with the help of its faculty advisors Molly Strudevant and Christopher Appelt in the Spring 2014 Semester.
The Environmental Concerns Organization is planning many events including a Daily Living Choices Event in April that will coincide with the Mercy Students for Peace and Justice’s Environmental Week. According to Held, the Daily Living Choices Event “will call attention to the ways in which consumers are involuntarily engaged in the injustice of others and the natural world, as well as empower people with alternative sustainable choices.”
Held said the Environmental Concerns Organization will also “host various screenings and presentations that will assist people in understanding the importance of Climate Change and developing an ethos of sustainability.”
That being said, to confront Climate Change, the Environmental Concerns Organization’s efforts will educate the Saint Xavier University community to understand the impact that daily living choices have on the natural world, as well as empower people with effective sustainable alternatives.
As stated by Held, “the Environmental Concerns Organization is important for Saint Xavier University because its initiatives aim to assist the Saint Xavier University community in acknowledging their dependence upon the natural world and empower them to develop an ethos of sustainability.”
Held noted that the Environmental Concerns Organization is an academic and political group that is interested in the environment, is concerned for the well-being of the natural world and wants to help the Saint Xavier University community adopt a mindset that we as humans ought to be the caretakers of the natural world by calling attention to unsustainable practices and teaching more sustainable, daily practices.
The mission statement of the Environmental Concerns Organization is “to foster the development of an ethos of sustainability among the Saint Xavier University community,” according to Held. Held said it is especially important to have the Environmental Concerns Organization at Saint Xavier University because “its initiatives aim to assist the Saint Xavier University community in transitioning to more sustainable practices. This ideological transition was necessary fifty years ago, but it is never too late to start doing the right thing.”
The Environmental Concerns Organization consists of Secretary Lexi Mcdermid, Treasurer Kyle Held, Chief Research Officer Patrycja Kochan, Co-Vice Presidents Neveen Hammad and Rachel Schroeder, and President Evan Held. There is also an advisory committee that oversees the Environmental Concerns Organization’s direction. Currently, the Environmental Concerns Organization has a roster of twenty-five students and six officers.
Held would specifically like Saint Xavier University students to know that “global warming is due to human activities, so it is human activities that must do the work of trying to stabilize the rising global temperature. Since unsustainable practices are deeply embedded in our infrastructure, it is difficult to avoid harming the natural world. However, that infrastructure is subject to change if those with access to the world’s resources make conscious decisions that demand sustainable practices.”
If you are interested in helping the Environmental Concerns Organization promote sustainability at Saint Xavier University, the Environmental Concerns Organization has meetings in L341 every Thursday at 3:30 pm. If you cannot make this meeting time, but would still like to contribute or support in any way, please email Evan Held at held.e01@mymail.sxu.edu.
David Rodriguez
News Editor
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