Austin College students will hold their 13th annual GreenServe Saturday, April 22, in a morning of volunteer projects focused on environmental responsibility and sustainability. Over 3,500 service hours have been contributed since the project 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 months, 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.
“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 volunteer at multiple different sites across Grayson County. Activities planned include trail maintenance at Eisenhower State Park, gardening and upkeep at St. Mary’s School, and community outreach at Texoma Earth Day Festival, among many others. Additionally, some groups will work on the Austin College campus planting native, perennial garden beds as part of a new “Adopt a Butterfly Bed” program.
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; each student gives five dollars to this fund annually through the activity fee. The fund has been used to purchase water bottle refill stations around campus, native plants for garden beds, and additional campus recycling bins. In 2019, the SSF Committee and Student Assembly approved a proposal to install 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, 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.