Austin College students will hold their ninth annual GreenServe Saturday, April 28, in a morning of volunteer projects focused on environmental responsibility and sustainability. GreenServe is co-sponsored by Thinking Green, the College’s sustainability-focused student group, 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 Austin College Thinking Green (Think) initiative worked to bring together the aspects of this day of service. Dr. Mari Elise Ewing, assistant professor of environmental studies and the faculty sponsor of Think, said, “Austin College students enthusiastically volunteer to serve our local communities through environmental stewardship projects every year. 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, permaculture gardening at Pottsboro Community Garden, and construction assistance at Habitat for Humanity’s new ReStore building on Frisco Road in Sherman. Additionally, students will continue ongoing projects at Austin College’s Sneed Prairie and Buckner Woods, install native plants in a garden bed on campus, and do trail maintenance at Eisenhower State Park and Binkley Park. Local businesses including Downtown Grilled Cheese Company and Momo’s Donuts will support the efforts—and stomachs—of GreenServe volunteers.
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; five dollars of the Activity Fee paid by every student goes to the Student Sustainability Fund. Recently, the SSF Committee and Student Assembly were able to acquire additional recycling bins for areas such as Larry Kramer Outback at Apple Stadium and at the Flats at Brockett Court. Students are currently preparing to bring forth a proposal for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station on campus—recycling bin to charging station exemplifying the range of greening projects achievable through the 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, international study, 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 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.