9 Student Groups With Sustainable Missions

As Earth Day approaches, it’s a great time to look for new ways to get involved with sustainability efforts on campus. Tech students have a long history of being good stewards of the Earth’s resources and looking for ways to promote environmentally conscious practices.

Here are nine groups to look at if you want to get involved. To stay plugged in to all campus events, visit calendar.gatech.edu or engage.gatech.edu.

Students Organizing for Sustainability

This group has been active on campus for many years. One of its most visible initiatives is the Community Garden located on the Instructional Center Lawn. The group also hosts guest speakers and assists with invasive species removal on campus.

Association for Sustainable Investment

This group combines interest in sustainability and finance to promote investment in climate solutions and educate students about sustainable finance and fossil fuel divestment. The group hosts guest speakers, debates, and podcast discussions.

Trailblazers

The purpose of Trailblazers is to increase appreciation for the outdoors through trail adventure and exploration. The group coordinates trips that combine service, such as park cleanup or tree planting, with outdoor recreation. They also assist with on-campus projects such as invasive species removal. Trailblazers welcomes students, faculty, and staff to participate in its events.

Energy Club

The Energy Club’s premier event is its annual conference, which took place earlier this month. They also host weekly “energy chats” where an invited speaker will present on an area of their work in the energy landscape, focusing on topics that touch on technology, economics, and policy.

Solar Racing

Solar Racing designs and builds solar-powered race cars for track and cross-country competitions worldwide. The group recently built a vehicle that completed the American Solar Challenge last fall. Students of all experience levels and backgrounds are invited to participate and learn about solar vehicles — and have fun.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

The Tech student chapter, EWB-GT, is a chapter of EWB-USA, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. The goal of this group is to support community-driven development projects worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects. The Georgia Tech group has four ongoing projects in communities around the world.

IEEE PES

The IEEE Power and Energy Society is the oldest society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization. IEEE PES at Georgia Tech is a student branch of the national organization. The group’s events are focused on the power and energy sectors and include group meetings, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

Veggie Jackets

This group is designed for vegetarian and vegan students, offering many occasions to share meals together, including potlucks and other events. The group also hosts documentary viewings that focus on how eating habits can affect the Earth.

Effective Altruism

This group hopes to have its members maximize the positive impact they can have on the world and tackle some of the  greatest challenges, including extreme climate change, mitigating the next pandemic, and human-compatible AI. The group focuses on making professional connections to work that addresses these global challenges.