The REDUCE: Finding a Sustainable Life Action Project accomplished a lot during this semester! They had many different action groups who really made an impact in the community.

Here are some of the highlights of the REDUCE GROUP! 

 

 

 

The Sustainable Personal Care Group held a hand sanitizer making event to promote health and wellness while also decreasing waste! In this group, they focused on ways you can reduce your waste footprint by switching to more sustainable products to use in your everyday life. They also learned about how landfills are filling up with unnecessary waste, resulting in detrimental ecological consequences. In 2017, the EPA estimated that landfills received 26.8 million tons of plastic, which includes your shampoo bottles and other personal care products.

 

 

 

 

 

The Compost Group sent two Letters to the Editor that were published in the Truman Index. These letters, that detail the importance of composting, can be read here:https://tmn.truman.edu/blog/editorial/letter-to-the-editor-compost/ This group educated Truman students on the opportunities available to them, such as the Truman Compost Project. They also directly support groups such as the Rot Riders which supports community outreach by collecting compost from Kirksville residents.

They also got a Composting poster approved to be hung around the Truman Residence Halls!

 

 

 

One action group focused on creating a Website! This website included accomplishments of the group and information about composting and how to best  live a sustainable life. You can find the website here.

 

 

Another fun group was the TikTok group! You can check out their videos at @tru100reduce. Check out their profile for some great information and resources! This semester they focused on teamwork and utilizing the growing social media platform, TikTok, to make a difference in the environment. They both learned about and promoted environmental projects at Truman and Kirksville community in order to create engaging educational videos on sustainability topics, such as sharing environmental tips and news.

Here is one of their tiktoks about the Communiversity Garden! https://www.tiktok.com/@tru100sustainability/video/6895184382013836549?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6901046055157958150&is_from_webapp=1

 

 

Another group was Climate Advocacy. They focused on learning about the existential threat to humanity that is Climate Change. It was evident that Climate Change wasan issue on the ballot in November. Students organized movements to get out the vote and make Climate Change the voting priority of Adair country residents. This group organized rallies and regularly chalked around campus to get out the word.

 

Here are some students at the climate rally that this group organized!

 

A group that worked closely with the Truman community was Local Biodiversity and You. This group learned about native plants and animals and how they can be supported. They worked closely with the Communiversity Garden and learned how to take care of their own lawn back home should situations arise.

 

 

 

 

 

The Biodiversity group worked on the Communiversity Garden which included lots of weeding.

 

The final group of the REDUCE Team was The Sustainable Dorm. This group looked at the many ways we can be environmentally friendly by utilizing both creativity and science in your living space. They learned ways to upcycle old clothing into useful, everyday objects. They also learned about the importance of plants in our homes by taking care of your very own houseplant. As a result, students were able to learn how to decorate your living space sustainably, but also foster a better understanding of the ecological cycles that influence our local and global environment.

One project of the group was a sustainable meal project that they did in their dorm kitchens!

 

REDUCE accomplished so much this semester! Most importantly, they raised awareness both in the Truman and Kirksville community. None of this could have been possible without the help of the class’s preceptors and their instructor, Christine Harker!

We want to hear your comments about the REDUCE: Finding a Sustainable Life Action Project.

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