Environmental Society returns, hopes to make campus greener

After a few years of inactivity, student organization Environmental Awareness Society is starting activity and partnering with the City of Commerce to increase recycling on campus.

"We're a group of students, mostly environmental science majors who try to bring about environmental awareness," president Clint Schmal said. "Our main focus is based in baby steps, like recycling and planting more trees on campus."

The EAS also does research and creates awareness about sustainability, especially alternative fuel and solar energy, but their current goal is to make it easier for students to recycle.

"Right now, we have our hands full trying to start the recycling program," Schmal said. "It's not easy to get something like this going. Recycling doesn't have a lot of influence in Texas; bins don't stay up and students don't have many resources to do it themselves."

The EAS's plan is to place recycling bins in various locations around campus and to have a scheduled day for pickup to take the items to the plant, along with other recyclable materials collected in the community. They will be going around to local businesses to get them to join the incentive.

"We don't have money to sort and drop things off," Schmal said. "We have to put our name out there so that people that want to help can have the opportunity."

The EAS currently has 15 volunteers and would like to reach 50 by spring.

"Anyone can volunteer. The society is comprised of environmentally conscious people that want to make a difference and protect the planet," Schmal said. "I'm trying to reach out and grow to make more of an influence. I'm really putting in everything I have to make this successful and want people to contact me if they want to help."

The EAS, in previous years, made some progress on their recycling incentive.

"A few years ago, this was very small, but we have a lot of potential now," Schmal said. "This will take a long time but it's important that we get it started."