From the Geek Culture Club to the Herpetology Club, FIU’s campus life showed its love for sustainability on Oct. 24.
Hosted at the Graham Center lawns, several clubs such as the Geek Culture Club, the Garden Club, and the Wine, Bartending, and Coffee guilds attended the fair to discuss sustainability.
Sustainability, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is the pursuit of creating conditions in which “humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generation.”
The term sustainability is often paired with recycling and similar practices, like upcycling and reusing.
The Herpetology Club, focused on the conservation and education of reptiles and amphibians, were also present at the event with the purpose of informing students about the environment.
President of the club and Marine Biology major Ashby Santoro, spoke about the critical role of human contact with the environment.
“So, we’re seeing rapid-steep declines in Keystone species… but we also want to help conserve those species and bring awareness and also promote healthier lifestyles for people that do less to encroach on their habitat,” Santoro said.
Keystone species, as Santoro, refers to animals like reptiles and amphibians which are known to be indicators of the health of a habitat, which can alert researchers of problems in the environment.
President of the GCC, Luis Odon, presented a table with recycled Pokemon cards, with the aim of reducing trash and promoting a recyclement of the discarded cards.
“What we’re doing is giving away a whole bunch of old cards that people don’t have a use for anymore,” Odon said.
Odon emphasized the nature of this procedure to be free and to be community based so that fellow card-traders can help each other build their own decks without wasting paper.
“In general, we’d like to promote sustainability and make sure we reuse what we have been given in the past to maximize it as much as possible,” Odon said.
Alexis Quiroz, vice president of the Garden Club, spoke about the role of agroecology in sustainability, and the importance to society.
“Agroecology is learning from nature, but also benefiting the three prongs: society, economics, and the ecosystem,” Quiroz said.
Defined as “sustainable farming that works with nature”, agroecology, as Quiroz mentions, works in tandem with aspects of society like food production, crop harvesting, and waste management.
“All three of the prongs must be in balance; not a single one of them must be harmed or ignored,” Quiroz said.
In application, Quiroz stresses the importance of education, urging students to learn about pest management, sources of food production, and diet diversity.
The Garden Club also sold potted plants such as succulents, as well as pro-agroecology stickers.
Among other clubs were the Tri-Guild of Wine, Bartending and Coffee, who readily informed students about recycling and maximization.
(Check out clips of the event below! Pause to cycle between clips.)
About Post Author
