Our environment is made up of living and nonliving elements, all of which have an effect on the way we, as humans, interact within our environment. Eastern Michigan University’s Sierra Club educates its members on the importance of taking care of our environment, because as much as our environment affects us, we have an equally strong effect on the environment.
“It’s a more of a holistic approach to environmental education… It’s more casual in a way that everyone can understand,” Te’Nia Richardson, president of Sierra Club, said.
A prominent factor of the Sierra Club is that it is EMU’s first environmentally friendly club, started in August 2022. The members take part in volunteer park clean ups, watch videos and hold discussions about an organism of the week, and learn about the importance of living in a sustainable environment.
The Sierra Club emphasizes the importance of connecting and educating students on environmental issues.
“We are very environmentally conscious, and we talk about different prevalent environmental topics going on in the world and how we as people, especially as college students, can help,” Richardson said.
With the Sierra Club offering a wide variety of events, there is still the core value of what the club stands for. Educating the members on the importance of taking care of our environment. Richardson expresses that her favorite event that she has gone to was the club’s first in-person event, which was a cleanup at Frog Island Park. The club partnered with Huron River Watershed Council and cleaned up 148 pounds of trash. Doing these types of events help to bring a more “conscious atmosphere to the students.”
“A lot of times we just throw things away and consume different things in our lives that might not be the most sustainable or environmentally friendly. So bringing that conscious awareness to our community is something that I believe the Sierra Club does uniquely,” Richardson said.
Due to this being the Sierra Club’s first year, member participation is a key component in helping the club run smoothly. Everyone is welcome to voice their suggestions on event ideas, or simply offer ways to help better the club. In addition, members do not need to be majoring in environmental science or any related fields in order to join the club. The only requirement is that the members have “a passion for protecting the environment.”
While EMU has a Botanical Club, the Sierra Club differentiates itself by focusing on all aspects of the environment, and not strictly on plants and their impacts on the environment. Sierra Club focuses on plants, animals, and a vast majority of organisms, looking at how even the simplest parts of our environment have the strongest impact.
Although Sierra Club is in its first year, it has made progress since starting in August.
“For being its first year, I think we’ve had some pretty good events and had some fun-filled discussions with our new members and I’ve had a really successful executive board that I’ve gotten the chance to work with,” Richardson said.
Richardson was drawn to the Sierra Club because it was right up her alley. Aside from environmental science being her major, she always had a strong passion for taking care of the environment. Sierra Club is helping to enhance her love of the environment, develop leadership skills, and connect her to others that share the same passion.
To stay up to date with Sierra Club’s events and meetings, follow the club on Instagram @sierraclub_emu
