The Sustainability Club, a brand new RSO, is welcoming new members who are interested in learning different ways to live happily while remaining environmentally friendly.

Joshua Harden, a grad student majoring in business administration and the president of the club, said he and others wanted a RSO that focused on sustainability to exist on campus.

Harden said learning how to live a sustainable life and bringing awareness to sustainability is the purpose of the club.

“Life requires resources and making sure you’re not abusing your use of resources,” he said.

Rose Paoletti, a grad student majoring in kinesiology, sports and recreation and the secretary of the Sustainability Club, said reducing the usage of resources can be good for people’s wallets and the environment.

A good way to limit usage and save money would be to reduce the amount of dish soap someone uses regularly, she said.

Another example of saving money and remaining environmentally friendly would be to purchase sustainable versions of materials people use every day, like biodegradable plates instead of paper plates, Paoletti said.

While Sustainability Club only recently started, Harden said there are events he hopes to carry out with other members in the future to promote their club to others and to educate.

“Right now we do have a plan for the semester, but there’s only two plans,” he said. “One plan is we’re going to (use) the Grand Ballroom in the MLK Union. We’re going to have someone come in and have a talk, hopefully this semester, about what our take is on sustainability. So, what I’ve mentioned before, what one person can do—small little steps to make it a habit and make it a part of their life. It’s a constant practice,” he said.

Harden said the other plan, which is not concrete just yet, is to purchase reusable water bottles to pass out to students.

“(We want to) offer free glass water bottles to people just to encourage reusable things,” he said. “We looked on Amazon; there (are) some, like, $3 glass bottles with nylon sleeves on (them). It requires a little bit of funding, which is all charity given to us.”

Alex Seidler, a grad student majoring in kinesiology, sports and recreation and the treasurer of the Sustainability Club, said something important to understand is that living a sustainable life without changing someone’s lifestyle completely is possible.

He said part of the club’s success is that their teaching methods include small, easy steps to allow people to ease into a new environmentally-friendly routine.

“People (want) to be more sustainable without having to change too much in their life. Hardly at all, actually,” Seidler said.

Paoletti said a key to becoming more sustainable is finding the aspects of someone’s life that are not sustainable, and aiming to change them one step at a time.

“(Becoming sustainable) is a focus. You’re focusing on one thing one step at a time,” she said.

Harden said the Sustainability Club goes hand-in-hand with the Mindfulness Club, a club where members learn meditative techniques and good habits.

While the Sustainability Club focuses on educating others about how to live sustainably, the Mindfulness Club brings awareness to everything people do, he said.

Seidler said the two clubs are very similar because they both involve bringing awareness to one’s individual life.

“(Members) just become more mindful in the daily routine of life,” he said.

Harden said his favorite part of Sustainability Club is the simple fact that it exists on campus to educate unconditionally.

“(The Sustainability Club) is my life. I had been seeking for things like this in my life, and if it was ever so slightly different, if there was any sort of conditionality in it—any sort of expectations, I wouldn’t have been here,” he said.

Seidler said one of the most rewarding aspects of the Sustainability Club is seeing those who get involved learn sustainable habits and keep them for a long time after.

“Some person may take a little bit longer or maybe a little bit shorter, but they always get what they need to educate others,” he said. “By the end, they’ve (gotten) what they set out to do.”

Logan Raschke can be reached at 581-2812 or at lrraschke@eiu.edu.