Two COLA students explain what the Campus Environmental Center offers and why it matters
The Campus Environmental Center is the largest student-run sustainability organization on UT Austin’s campus. Its goal is to provide accessible and approachable ways for students to implement sustainability into their everyday lives, and the organization hosts three different project teams: Green Events, which provides accessible composting on campus; Microfarm, a small farm run by the Campus Environmental Center; and Trash to Treasure, which promotes reusing and recycling clothing.
As a member of the Campus Environmental Center since the beginning of this year, I’ve gotten to know both Caroline Gamble, the organization’s internal director, and Olivia Navarro, its external director. Recently I sat down with both Caroline and Olivia to talk with them about the CEC and the importance of practicing sustainability at COLA.
How did your journey with the CEC start? How has it progressed since?
Caroline: I started off with the Green Events project team focusing on zero waste. I wanted to explore sustainability but I didn’t really know what I was interested in, so I joined Green Events because I grew up with a compost bin in my backyard. Then I got the internal director position two years ago, and that allowed me to explore all the different project teams but also to look at the CEC more broadly. I’ve been able to connect with other sustainability organizations and get a holistic view of sustainability on campus.Finding ways to help people grow into their roles and understand their niche within sustainability is something that really interests me, and it’s a lot of my position as internal director. I love being able to explore the more educational, people side of sustainability and building future leaders within the movement.
Olivia: I joined the CEC my first year at UT. I’m a sustainability studies major and I was looking for ways to get involved on campus. The first thing I found that was of interest to me was the Microfarm, because I grew up gardening. I started doing more with the CEC, and they told me there was an opening for the seed librarian. I remember telling all my friends that this was the most whimsical, cool little leadership position I could ever have. So, I became the seed librarian and I did that for a year. Then the external director position opened up, and my colleagues at the Microfarm encouraged me to apply for it. I had experience with public speaking and event planning, so I thought that it was a good way to merge my interests. I’m glad I got the job because it’s been really transformative in my college career. I feel like I’m part of a community now.
Why should students be thinking about sustainability?
Caroline: Sustainability is the future in the long term. This is what is going to be economically viable. Right now the climate news looks bleak, but sustainability is the solution. Consumers care about sustainability, so knowing the technical practices can give you a unique edge in the job market. But it’s also a beautiful thing on the spiritual and self-fulfillment side. It makes you feel like you are connecting with the Earth and contributing to biodiversity.
Students have been the people who push for progress for decades. Looking back on the protests from the Vietnam War, you can see all of the progress that students have made because we have such a large voice. The fact that we are students means we do have a lot of collective power. So, participating in sustainability can be what shifts the narrative on what we’re looking at currently. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, and by getting more people involved, we can specialize in different areas and make movements that are specialized to different needs.
Olivia: I think of that quote from the Lorax where he says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” I genuinely think students should care about sustainability because looking at the facts, it is a little bit daunting. If we don’t all care and all put in our effort, it’s gonna be a scary future. So while sustainability can offer spiritual fulfillment and a connection with the world, this work is really important because we want to ensure the future for our generation and generations to come. And working in sustainability can look like a lot of different things. There’s no one right path, and no matter what career or degree you’re on track to get, there’s some way to integrate sustainability into your life.
Why does this work matter for UT?
Caroline: UT is such a large institution and it’s renowned across the country. Especially in Texas, people look to us for leadership. So, having these sustainability groups that show actionable and measurable change is super important because so many other people will follow in our footsteps. We’re a huge campus and we have so many people who go here, and the amount of impact that we can make as a community by making these more sustainable changes is astronomical. Also, being in Texas, we do need to have more sustainability-focused people and institutions because it isn’t commonly practiced. Making that impact in a place where it’s hard to do so is incredibly important.
Olivia: Leading by example and showing that you can do things like this at a university level is really important because we’ve had other schools comment on our Instagram saying, “This is so cool. I wish my school had this.” It can be inspiring to other people. I also think the programs that we have provide a lot of accessibility and are able to make sustainability more accessible for students. There are students who are shopping at our one dollar thrift sales, who come to Microfarm and get produce for free, who talk to Green Events and compost for free. It’s about providing students with these services and teaching them how to implement sustainable practices into their lives.
How has your Liberal Arts education influenced your direction of the Campus Environmental Center?
Caroline:The most impactful part for me is my sustainability studies degree. It’s not just about the technical practices of sustainability, it’s also about the social aspects — understanding environmental justice, understanding how sustainability might be part of business practices or urban planning. It really is all-encompassing, and my degree has opened my mind to all the different avenues that we can pursue sustainability through.
The focus on discussions and interpersonal conversations in a liberal arts education is also so important because it shifts the classroom into something that’s less task-oriented and more community-oriented. That really influences how I work within the CEC. I want to make something that’s very collaborative, where you can come into a workspace and see how these different projects intertwine and how we can improve upon our current practices. With the liberal arts, you’re always looking for ways to innovate and to improve and provide a multidisciplinary approach to different roles.
Olivia: My sustainability studies major influenced me to deepen my knowledge of sustainability, and my interdisciplinary classes were really thought provoking to me. Taking classes that have such open conversations and people from different perspectives and majors within liberal arts made me open my mind to how I can connect with people who may not be sustainability focused. Taking other classes through my major also helped me learn how to communicate about sustainability in the best way. My liberal arts education really made me realize that there are so many different ways of solving a problem and that it’s that interdisciplinary approach that is most likely to get as many people as possible on board, which is what we need.