MSU Sustainability Manager Laura Young said she hopes students will use these events to familiarize themselves with the sustainability office’s work and find ways to reduce their own daily ecological impact. She added that it’s important the office of sustainability continually finds new ways to engage students and stand out from the slew of newsletters students receive in their inbox. 

“What’s really helpful about these outreach activities is that it gives us a chance to connect one-on-one with folks,” Young said. “Our students care about sustainability. They want to reduce their impact. They want to help (on) campus, but they don’t always know what to do, or where to go, or what resources are available to them.”

Young explained that much of the work done during these events revolves around directing students to on-campus organizations that fit their interests and allow them to maximize their potential for change. She pointed out that because sustainability groups often range in size and purpose, finding the right fit can be difficult for some students. 

“When we go out and meet (students) in person, we can explain, based off their interest or their questions, ‘this is where you go to do X,’ or ‘let’s put you in touch with someone else,’” Young said. “'We want to help you be Spartan green and to help take care of campus.'” 

One organization involved with sustainability month is the Spartan Sierra Club, a student-run chapter of the national Sierra Club which aims to protect the environment through volunteer work, nature outings and environmental education. 

The club's president and experience architecture senior, Jason Fagan, said the club discussed performing a campus clean-up during sustainability month, pointing out that areas under bridges on campus and along the Red Cedar River have accumulated a noticeable amount of trash during the semester. The club has organized campus clean-ups in past years. 

“The health of the natural environment is paramount to the health of our species; there’s no doubt those two things are related,” Fagan said. “Because I value (nature), I inherently want to protect it."

Another component of sustainability on campus is ASMSU’s department of sustainability, headed by environmental studies and sustainability senior Casey Frump.Although Frump said ASMSU does not have events planned for October, she said she is looking to push one or two sustainability-related bills before the end of the semester. 

The best way for students to get involved this month is to participate in student organizations working toward improving campus sustainability, Frump said. 

"There's a lot of ways to get involved," Frump said. "It's just trying to push where you can find those initiatives." 

Beyond individual organizations, the Student Sustainability Leadership Council, or SSLC, serves as a space for sustainability leaders from across campus to coordinate action and provide feedback to MSU’s office of sustainability. Young said the SSLC has been instrumental in gaining student insights for potential initiatives such as the reusable containers now present in Holden and Holmes Hall. 

Young said participating in initiatives such as sustainability month is important because of the need to prepare and educate students to take on the problems of tomorrow, particularly ones brought on by the worsening effects of climate change.

“We all have a role to play in creating a sustainable MSU and creating a sustainable future,” Young said. “We absolutely need our brilliant students to go out there and help lead and solve these (problems).”