Club Spotlight: Environmental Affairs Council

Did you know that recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to run a television for three hours? The Environmental Affairs Council here at Millikin works to spread awareness on environmental issues such as this around campus and in the Decatur community.

“This organization has been around since at least the ‘70s,” Professor Roslyn O’Conner, the club’s faculty sponsor, said. “It’s a great group, and I really hope to get more support for it.”

Professor O’Conner teaches a number of environmental biology classes in addition to helping out the EAC.

“Right next to teaching, the environment is my passion. I really wanted to help and be a part of a group with that same passion. It seemed like a good fit,” O’Conner said.

The main purpose of the group is to raise awareness on campus about growing environmental issues.

“My hope is that students will take these ideas back to their home communities, or wherever they end up going when they graduate from Millikin,” O’Conner said. “The idea is for it to go beyond the borders of Millikin.”

The EAC participates in a number of volunteer programs, as well as fun on-campus events, such as street clean-ups, cleaning the Sangamon River and various recycling projects. It’s aimed towards helping the environment in the wildlife and floral sense.

“I love being a part of the EAC, because it creates the feel of community as you’re helping the community,” Vice President Shelby Chesko, a sophomore environmental biology major, said.

Taking care of the surrounding nature not only helps the environment, but it also helps the community thrive. Last year, the club paired up with the service fraternity APO and worked with students from Dennis School and taught them how to make jump ropes out of recycled grocery bags.

“I like being a part of the EAC because it helps improve campus, and it’s great to put on a resume,” President Tyler Kassing, a junior environmental biology major, said. “We also really impact the community, not just campus,”

The most successful event of last year was the campus free store, and they plan on doing it again this year.

“Anyone on campus can bring anything that they don’t use anymore, and they bring it to our table. Then anyone else on campus can take it for free. It’s like recycling everyday items to help other college students on a budget and help clean out the clutter,” Chesko said.

This “green club,” however, is not just for students majoring in biology. It’s intended for anyone who cares about the environment and wants to see a change for the better. The EAC meets every Thursday in the Leighty-Tabor Science Center, Room 224, at 7:00 pm. Even if you don’t join, just remember to reduce, reuse and recycle, and GO GREEN!