Sustainability, community engagement, awareness and policy transparency are all things the new Sustainability Club at Sonoma State University plan to bring to campus in the spring.

“Students for Sustainability is an excellent avenue for those who want to make a difference at Sonoma State,” said member of the club, Nicole Detmers.

About seven students who have jobs on campus dealing with sustainability found the Sustainability Club.  They realized there was no opportunity for students to promote sustainable projects aside from Associated Students or Join Us Making Progress.  This is when they decided to start a club in order to directly target that issue.

The president of the club, Dustin DeMatteo, told the STAR, “The great thing about our club is we recognize that implementing sustainable practices and events is not a sprint, but a marathon.”

The purpose of the club is to cultivate a sense of culture between students and faculty through the platform of sustainability.  The club has 10 official members, many of who are student leaders on campus. Grants are used to fund the club. Each grant is a chartered club on campus. On Dec. 20 and 21  the club plans to fundraise by hosting a 100 percent recyclable gift-wrapping event at The North Face.

“The club brings forward different resources that will help in achieving a more sustainable culture at SSU,” said Detmers.  “If any student wants to make an impact on their school and peers I think this club is a great way to do that.”

Next semester they plan to host a few more events.  One includes a Take Back the Trail Copeland Creek.  Another they plan to do is a reusable water bottle giveaway, in order to prevent water conservation.  They plan to host a few more events, along with working with other clubs in the spring.

“I would love to join a club like this,” said junior Amy Unruh. “I am very concerned about sustainability and sometimes it’s hard to find students who feel the same way.”  

Once the club starts getting their name spread around campus, they plan to grow in membership through their events; whether that is a donation drive, a dance event or holding a public discussion on campus where a lot of students will walk by and have the opportunity to join in. 

DeMatteo said, “I’m excited for the future of this club because there is a serious need for a sustainability focus group and we hope to be a part of the solutions to many problems on campus.”

Students can go see what the club is all about every Friday at noon by the fireplace in the Student Center.  

The club welcomes anyone to sit and join in on their meetings and the club has a open membership, meaning there are no fees or dues.  They encourage anyone who wants to do something for their community to get involved. 

Disclosure: Nicole Detmers is a staff writer for the Sonoma State STAR.