Students for Sustainable Action is the only environmental club on campus with the goal of making Fresno City College a zero-waste campus.

The club noticed recycling bins have been an issue at FCC and is working to obtain more for the campus.

Trash cans on campus were overflowing with recyclables, so the club took an inventory, said Kiernan Morris, the club’s president. 

“We found a ratio of 7 to 1, trash cans to recycling bins,” added Morris. “There were like 147 trash cans on campus and only 20 recycling bins.”

Recycling keeps reusable plastics and other resources out of the landfills, said Morris.

“A lot of the stuff that doesn’t get recycled either ends up in a landfill where its polluting the environment around it,” added Morris. “Or it ends up in our environment leaking BPA and other really harmful biochemicals into the ground, into our water supply and its around our kids which isn’t healthy.”

Morris explained that the goal is to get all recycling bins out on campus by Earth Day.

Aside from working to make FCC zero-waste, the organization has another purpose.

“We want to lower the waste streams coming through here, focus on resources that different departments are using, work with the school to minimize the impact it’s having and reevaluate the culture the campus has in regards to environmental consciousness,” said Morris.

Michelle Gerome, the vice president, explained what the club will promote in the spring 2020 semester. 

“Education, awareness, issues facing climate change,” Gerome said. “We also just want to create a community of people who are like minded that care about these issues and can work toward these issues.”

Club officers encourage students interested or concerned for the environment to join their organization. 

“I feel like a lot of people are aware of the environmental crisis going on, but aren’t exactly sure how to do something to change their part,” said Isaac Chacon, the club’s Inter Club Council (ICC) representative.

Chacon said joining the club is a good way for students to get their foot in the door.  

“It’s a really multifaceted club, so there really is a lot of different things for everyone to enjoy,” said Brooke Lutz, the club treasurer. There are so many activities to get involved with and there’s a lot of fun, cool people in the club, Lutz continued. 

The club also participates in and hosts different events.

Club members interact with different local organizations, volunteer at gardens, go on hikes and bring speakers to campus, Gerome said.

The club will be hosting an event with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), said Chacon.

The event is called “Exposing the Pentagon: Hidden Polluter of Water” and will expose the military’s contamination of drinking water.

It will be held in the Old Administration Building, Room 251 on Mar. 19 at 7 p.m. For more information visit www.militarypoisons.org. The club will be going on a project hike called the “Blue Oak Monitoring Project”, said Morris. “We’ll be taking measurements of blue oak trees to contribute to a larger project that monitors the health of different tree species in the area,” Morris added.

The hike will be on March 28 in the Sequoia National Forest. 

Earth Day is on April 22 and the club will be planning an event for the day on their own or with other organizations, said Morris.

Club meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in SO-110. 

To sign up and get more information students can attend Club Rush, visit the meetings or contact Paul Gilmore from the club list on the FCC website.