Net Impact leads campus-wide Green Week
Monday, December 4, 2023
By Justin Erickson, '24 BSB
Students wander around the Whole Music Club, inspecting neat piles of clothing and grabbing what they like. Other students donate clothing of their own on their way in. This Pop-Up Thrift Store event sets the tone for Green Week, a series of ten events from November 6th to 11th hosted by student groups across campus to promote and educate about sustainability.
Jenna Fang, ‘25 BSB, watches students as they pick up and drop off clothing. As the Vice President of Special Events for Net Impact, she led the planning of Green Week.
“I started brainstorming back in August,” said Fang. “We wanted to bring the community together with events centering on sustainability and social justice.”
2023 marks the third Green Week, which was more collaborative than ever.
“We wanted to involve smaller groups on campus,” said Fang. “In the past, Green Week had a lot of larger events that bigger clubs were planning to host regardless. This year, we focused on smaller events with more collaboration.”
By hosting smaller events and engaging with smaller student groups, Net Impact was able to curate a community of people who had never crossed paths before but had similar interests.
“These events were a stepping stone for students to get involved across campus,” said Stephanie Bradt, ‘25 BS, President of Net Impact. “I think a lot of people are developing a need to do something about the climate crisis, and these events helped students learn where to start.”
Promoting Sustainability Across Campus
The Pop-Up Thrift Store, hosted by the Environmental Student Association, kicked off the Green Week.
“Our goal for the Pop-Up Thrift Store was to begin building a community and to open up the opportunity for students to participate in a more sustainable system of consumption,” said Louisa Brody, ‘24 BS, President of the Environmental Student Association.
Net Impact later hosted a Sustainable Craft Night at the Toaster with the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering as well as the Seedlings student group. Students painted thrifted vinyl records and potted plants to take home.
For students interested in environmental policy, the Environmental Student Association hosted a session on environmental law and advocacy with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.
“We really focused on connecting students who are passionate about creating environmental change with a powerful organization that knows how to do litigation,” said Brody. “With this connection, we can make sure that the issues that matter to this generation are getting pushed for.”
To wrap up Green Week, Net Impact hosted a guided hike on Saturday at Theodore Wirth Regional Park on Saturday alongside Compass, a business-focused LGBTQ+ student group.
“The guided hike went really well,” said Fang. “I saw a lot of mingling between members of different groups, and everyone got along really well.”
Through Green Week, Net Impact was able to promote sustainability across campus, establish connections with various organizations across campus, and engage with students on issues that matter to them.
“The most surprising thing about Green Week is how willing everyone was to get involved,” said Bradt. “We had some groups reach out to us directly to get involved, and to see some clubs take a leap and work on events that don’t necessarily relate to what they usually do is great. It was especially great to see other Carlson School clubs come forward and get involved.”