未来的环保领袖

When Anna Schmidt walks past a recycling bin in the Rogalski Center and sees it is full, she smiles.

When Kristina Shelman walks past a food donation box and sees it is full, she also smiles.

Their work and passion for the environment and sustainability, as well as their drive to educate each and every person on how easy it is to make a difference, 在整个校园引发变革吗, 以及在更广泛的galaxy银河娱乐场app. 由于这些领导的努力，他们受到了尊敬.

大四学生谢尔曼说 生物学 施密特是大三学生 护理 student, were named "未来的环保领袖 in the Quad Cities.他们将获得奥伯霍尔策奖和1美元奖金,000年奖学金 each 来自纳汉特·马什教育中心 during a reception on Feb. 29.

The award recognizes conservation leaders who have made significant contributions toward understanding and protecting the natural world. It is named after Davenport native Ernest Carl "Ober" Oberholtzer, 谁是荒野协会的创始成员.

谢尔曼是总裁，施密特是副总裁 GreenLife, an SAU student environmental club 专用的 to increasing awareness, education, and sustainability. After a few years of dormancy, Shelman, Schmidt and others helped re-launch the club in Fall 2018.

生物学助理教授丹尼斯·塔拉西说, 博士学位, Shelman and Schmidt have raised the standard of environmental awareness and advocacy across campus and have been instrumental in establishing a new campus identity focused on conservation and sustainability.

"They are strong examples of environmental leadership in the Quad Cities. They are excellent leaders and very deserving of the award,塔拉西说。, who co-advises the club with 生物学 Department Chair and Professor Amy Blair, 博士学位. 她和塔拉西提名了谢尔曼和施密特.

Shelman got involved with Green Life because she wants to reduce overall waste on campus and establish plants that are native to Iowa on university grounds. "My biggest goal is to increase awareness on ways to be sustainable and why it matters,她说.

首先作为一个成员, 然后作为总统, Shelman led efforts to reduce food waste with an awareness campaign in the cafeteria and coordinates end-of-semester food drives in each residence hall. Students are asked to donate non-perishables they don't want to carry home. 上一学年, 绿色生命募集和捐赠超过1亿美元,给河湾食物银行送200磅食物.

GreenLife正在销售可重复使用的玻璃吸管, 每学期清理校园垃圾, and partnered with other campus groups to assemble and install a bat box on campus last year. Members are now working to label campus recycling bins to show what can and cannot be recycled.

去年, the club organized and moderated a roundtable discussion on climate change after a public screening of the film 巴黎到匹兹堡. More than 120 community members, local leaders, and environment professionals attended, elevating St. galaxy银河娱乐场app as an emerging leader on environmental issues, Tarasi said.

"There were a lot of good discussions and it stirred the pot, made us think about other things we can do but aren't doing yet. 至于圣乔治大学的校园. galaxy银河娱乐场app in general, we should be using our collective voice to spark change,施密特说.

去年, 施密特发起了“绿色女孩”," an environmentally-themed campus house where she now lives with her friends. They go "plogging" (picking up litter while jogging) once a week to raise awareness and spark other students to get involved, 太. Schmidt also helped lead the design and planting of the first pollinator garden on campus.

在谢尔曼的领导下, SAU已经恢复了一个全校范围的可持续发展委员会, 由学生组成, 大学领导, 各部门的教职员工, 他们在二月初第一次见面.

"If we want to see change it has to be addressed on campus as a whole," Shelman said.

Both women believe GreenLife is increasing environmental awareness on campus, 但还有很多事情可以做.

"I'd love for people to realize little changes do make a difference. 很容易以为我只是一个人, 这只是一个塑料瓶, 那会有什么不同呢? But if we all start making small changes to become more sustainable it will add up and lead to bigger changes. 这要从个人开始。.

”,, 当你告诉别人你正在做的改变时,施密特说, 用你的声音来教育你周围的人, 你也会有所作为."

Both women said they will continue to advocate for the environment and sustainability after they graduate.

“作为一名未来的医疗工作者, I see how the changing climate is changing the lives of individuals and their livelihood. 它正在影响环境和他人的健康. I feel a calling to that, and I want to make it better for those people,施密特说.

谢尔曼非常尊重环境. “我喜欢欣赏创造之美. God gave us a planet and made it beautiful, and it is our job to protect and take care of it. The more I grew in my faith the more I unders太d the necessity of it. 和, 在过去的四年里, I've gained more insight and perspective on how important and valuable the planet is and what our future looks like if we don't take care of it,她说.

"Kristina and Anna embody everything we as advisors hope for in campus environmental leaders,塔拉西说。. 他们是有组织的, 专用的, and knowledgeable of the best strategies to accomplish their and GreenLife's goals."

GreenLife is open to all students interested in raising environmental awareness and advocacy. 会议每隔一个星期三晚上7点举行.m. 在基督国王礼拜堂的聚会空间. 更多信息，请发送电子邮件 beegreen@mulher-perfeita.net.