During the end of February and throughout March, the NC State Sustainability Stewards host their annual Environmental Justice Symposium to teach students about environmental justice in North Carolina. Each year, there’s a different theme, and this year’s theme is waste. 

The Sustainability Stewards are supported by the University Sustainability Office and are a student-led initiative to move the University toward a more sustainable future. Through symposiums, workshops, campus events and presentations, they make relevant the issues around us. 

Symposium events will focus on plastic pollution, e-waste and material waste. The various events related to this theme are designed to be interesting to everyone and make the idea of environmental justice accessible to all. 

Maggie Wesslen is the equity and outreach team coordinator for the Sustainability Stewards and said it is important for students to broaden their horizons and learn about how sustainability is impactful and applicable to society. 

“We see the biggest gap to be the social impact,” Wesslen said. “A lot of people don’t even know the definition of environmental justice, or they have a very watered-down perspective of it. It’s something that if you don’t see every day, you don’t think about, but the reality is even in your backyard … there’s a lot of environmental justice concerns to be considered.”

The mending workshop Feb. 27 will teach students how to repair their clothing. Sewing kits and tutorials on sewing on patches and mending will be provided during the event to emphasize the environmental impacts on textile and material waste, as the Stewards want to provide a skill students can use to make a change in their lives and communities. 

“I think something so special about the EJS is that there’s something for everyone,” said Kirk Porter, an equity and outreach team member. “If you’re into fashion, you can go to the mini workshop. If you’re into film, you can see the documentary, and if you’re into academia, you can learn from these professors. It’s a good opportunity to kind of learn about waste in a way that is personal to you.”

On March 1, arts and sustainability will connect to create a discussion about consumption, waste and sustainability. The Stewards said sustainability education can feel impersonal, so an art showcase with performances and music will aim to convey environmental justice and sustainability as a “people” issue. 

“We’re trying to make it approachable and also interesting to the average student one might encounter here,” said Evie Dallmann, an equity and outreach team member. “That’s why we have an art showcase trying to connect that bridge and make it relevant. Also, to rationalize with the fact that it might not be in your backyard, but it is something on a large scale to think about.”

On March 2, they are hosting a volunteer event at the Raleigh City Farm, where those involved will learn about food waste and get hands-on experience with sustainable agriculture and community.

A discussion panel will take place at D.H. Hill Jr. Library on March 4, where a panel of experts will be available to network with and speak to students about the world and roles of waste reduction. The speakers are experts on topics such as microbial e-waste, plastic degradation, marine debris and more. This event will serve as a networking and professional development event, with dinner served for attendees. 

“Sustainability is a lens we are trying to over- or superimpose onto everyone’s discipline as we move forward,” Dallmann said. “Nothing’s going to be untouched by sustainability.”

The final event of the symposium is a March 7 film screening about food waste at Fountain Dining Hall to expose how much food really gets wasted each year. The Sustainability Stewards’ goal with various events is to give students as much of a dynamic view of environmental justice as they can. 

Visit the 2024 Environmental Justice Symposium website for more information and specifics about their events in the next few weeks. Read Technician’s feature on the Sustainability Stewards to learn more about the group.