The Sustainability Club promotes environmental stewardship and sustainability in the SEMO campus and surrounding community, hosting programs and fundraisers to help accomplish their mission of positive environmental commitment.
President of the Southeast Sustainability Club Calantha Remy said she first joined in Spring 2021 and felt she got exposure to campus and Cape Girardeau through the club. She said the previous president was passionate about the club and inspired Remy to become an officer.
Remy said the club’s goal for the upcoming semesters is to get more students involved and have more activities outside of the regular club room. She said the club recently changed their name from Environmental Science Association to Sustainability Club to make the club inclusive to all majors, not just environmental science or sustainability majors.
In April, the club went on a day trip. During the day trip, the club kayaked in one of Missouri’s streams to learn about biology and ecology from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Remy said in the future, the club will visit the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center and Sand Prairie Conservation Area, where they plan to meet a biologist or area manager to discuss field biology.
“I've gotten to make connections with the Missouri Department of Conservation here, and I've gotten closer to the faculty members within the Environmental Science Department,” Remy said. “I don't regret joining the club, because I wouldn't have made such important connections [if I hadn’t]. Therefore, I encourage everyone to join, since you never know what you might get out of it."
Remy encourages other students to join the club to get themselves out there and make valuable friendships and connections. She said the club does activities that anyone without prior knowledge can participate in, such as painting pots, planting seedlings and creating bird feeders. They ensure all activities are environmentally-friendly.
The club is looking for new officers and will hold officer elections at the end of the semester. New officers will get to shadow the existing officer to learn the position so they are ready to take things head on next semester.
Member Gwen Squires, who has been in the club for two semesters, said being a part of the Southeast Sustainability Club has been an enjoyable experience so far.
“I love the club's goals, and it feels great to be a part of something here at SEMO. Through the club, I've been able to make new friends, promote recycling and become more educated on the topic of sustainability,” Squires said. “It has been an awesome experience, and I'm looking forward to the events we have planned for this upcoming semesters.”
The club meets once a month in Rhodes Hall 126. At the meetings, they discuss new ways to incorporate eco-friendly activities and opportunities on SEMO’s campus. The club also visits the campus greenhouse to plant seeds in the pots they painted at their previous meeting. These pots are now growing flowers in the garden behind Rhodes.
Members of the club have a mural in progress behind Rhodes hall in the garden and would love for anyone to reach out and help paint this project later in the semester.
For more information on the Southeast Sustainability Club or to help with their mural, visit their website or email Calantha Remy at caremy1s@semo.edu.
