A crisp breeze brushed the thawing spring air as University of Rhode Island students gathered outside of Memorial Union to put their hands together and clean up trash around campus.
The event was a group effort, with members of Student Action for Sustainability, URI Student Senate, the URI Rotaract chapter and the North Woods Club participating in the event, according to SAS president, Dylan Murdock.
In past semesters, SAS has only done beach clean ups, making this event the first campus-clean up effort, according to Murdock.
“We reached out to some other clubs and asked them if they wanted to be a part of this,” Murdock said. “That’s what we’re trying to build here long-term, is those larger community cross-club events that highlight what we can do as a larger coalition.”
On Feb. 23, SAS also joined the Rotaract club for a collaborative beach clean up event, according to Murdock.
“We asked [URI Rotaract] if they would be able to come to our campus to clean up and join us here,” Murdock said. “As for student senate, we have been talking about doing this since last semester actually.”
Multiple students, including first-years Mekenna Cox, Ava Brown and Isabelle Emeloff were excited to participate.
“I’m a member of SAS and I wanted to come here just to show my support,” Cox said. “I’ve been noticing all the trash around campus and just wanted to help out.”
Also passionate about the environment, Brown said she has attended multiple beach clean up events through the URI Students Actively Volunteering and Engaging in Service club.
“I’m a member of the Rotaract club and I’ve been trying to show support for our campus and for my club,” Brown said.
The event has served as an avenue for students, including Emeloff, to take action they may otherwise be hesitant to take.
“I’ve been noticing so much trash around campus and I never want to pick it up with my bare hands but it always bothers me,” Emeloff said. “I thought today would be a great day to pick up all the trash I’ve been noticing.”
SAS is planning to host more campus clean up events after spring break, and collaborate with additional student organizations to strengthen community ties, according to Murdock.
“Some frat organizations have hit us up asking to join for the campus clean up,” Murdock said. “I’d like to get sororities here as well too.”
The whole goal of these events is to build community engagement while helping the environment and enjoying the outdoors, according to Murdock.
“I want people laughing, I want people having fun while also cleaning up the campus at the same time,” Murdock said. “ I want people to be able to have that community and to spend a day outside in some fresh air.”
