Student Essays, Opinions & Other Insights on a Sustainable UMD 2013-2014 Academic Year | Page 26

Sustainable Student Groups
Beyond these student essays and the sustainability pledge, there is an immense amount of effort put
forth on campus by students to promote sustainability. There were over 30 student groups that hosted
tables at this year’s Earth Day Festival to celebrate the sustainability efforts of their organization.
Highlighted below are 15 of the most active:

American Indian Student Union: Raise awareness and visibility of American
Indian cultures and discuss affairs facing American Indian students and the American Indian
community. They raise awareness about environmental impacts on tribal communities
such as the Keystone XL pipeline.

CHUM: Cooperative Housing University of Maryland perfect the principles of cooperative
living, like consensus-based decision making equal housing, and community building. All the
houses have bike racks and many compost, garden, and are powered by renewable
energy. This year members organized and built a community garden in Calvert Hills open to
all residents to promote organic food and healthy eating.

Clean Energy at UMD: This club has become one of the strongest independent
voices on campus calling for reducing state and local carbon emissions. Through
advocacy, education and mobilization, we can inspire changes that lead to an empowered
university community and a cleaner, greener world.

Food Recovery Network (FRN): Unites students on college campuses to fight
waste and feed people by donating the surplus unsold food from their colleges and
donating to hungry Americans.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA): Supports community-driven
development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and
implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences
and responsible leaders.

Maryland PIRG is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests
whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to
fully participate in our democratic society. This year they have worked on passing
the Bottle Bill in Maryland to reduce emissions and waste within the state.

Meatless Monday: Encourages students to adopt more sustainable and humane
eating habits through education and outreach. This year the organization held a lasagna
taste-testing event in which students could choose between vegan and meat options. They
also handed out recipes for vegetarian meals.

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