Austin College students will hold their 11th annual GreenServe event on Saturday, April 17, in a morning of volunteer projects focused on environmental responsibility and sustainability. More than 3,100 service hours have been contributed since the event began in 2010. GreenServe is co-sponsored by Thinking Green and the Austin College Service Station; all Austin College students, organizations, staff, and faculty members are encouraged to participate.
Over the last several weeks, student members of the Service Station Board and the Austin College Thinking Green (Think) initiative worked to bring together the aspects of this day of service.
“Austin College students enthusiastically volunteer to serve our local communities through environmental stewardship projects every year, and we are proud to continue a decade-long tradition of community service,” said Dr. Mari Elise Ewing, associate professor of environmental studies and the faculty sponsor of Think. “We encourage students to reflect on how individual actions impact communities, both locally and globally.”
Students will work at sites across Grayson County—including habitat cleanup at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, gardening and maintenance at the Pottsboro and Sherman Community Gardens, and many more. Students will also work at Austin College’s Sneed Prairie, assist at two Habitat for Humanity sites, two Adopt-A-Highway sites, Eisenhower State Park, Binkley Park, Texas Ramp Project, and downtown Howe.
Local businesses such as Mariachi’s Fine Mexican Food are showing their support by offering discounts to volunteers of GreenServe.
In addition to organizing events like GreenServe, students also propose sustainability initiatives on campus. In 2011, Austin College students initiated and voted in the Student Sustainability Fund, with $5 of each student’s Activity Fee supporting the SSF. The fund has been used to purchase water bottle refill stations around campus, native plants for garden beds, and additional campus recycling bins, among other projects. Last year, the SSF Committee and Student Assembly approved placement of an electric vehicle charging station on campus, exemplifying the wide range of greening projects achievable by this fund.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, global awareness, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.