Fun – Kent State Environmental Society

The Kent State Environmental Society emphasises that you don’t have to be an environmental leader to be an environmentalist. Open to all majors, the club hosts trash cleanups, fundraisers, field trips and more.

The club also holds eco-crafting events where participants can get creative with recycled items, like making a bookmark from an old magazine or creating a bracelet from a repurposed plastic bag.

Isabel Jalamov, a senior environmental studies major and president of the Kent State Environmental Society, said they try to incorporate a lot of fun and community-based elements into their activities.

“It’s nice if you have a passion for the environment,” Jalamov said, “but it’s also a really good space to learn.”

Instagram: @ksu_environment

Volunteer – Ocean Motion

Ocean Motion is a club dedicated to marine conservation and environmental sustainability.

Emma Marks, the president of Ocean Motion and a senior Zoology major, said “Even though we are in Ohio, there’s still stuff that we can do to help protect the oceans because all of our rivers lead to the ocean somehow.”

Open to all majors, the club gets involved with beach cleanups, tree planting and other similar volunteer work. Last year, the group planted trees with Cuyahoga National Park and volunteered at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Instagram: @ksuoceanmotion

Career – Future Environmental Professionals

The Future Environmental Professionals club welcomes all majors, but is geared towards students who are interested in environmental studies.

Last year, the club taught local youth about environmentalism and helped other Kent State student clubs with environmental cleanup efforts. The club also provides information about different certification opportunities students can pursue to help with their future careers.

A returning event this semester is the speaker series, a Zoom call featuring environmental professionals to discuss their career path.

Justin Thompson, the president of the Future Environmental Professionals and a senior environmental studies and political science double major, said the series provides different career options that students may have never considered otherwise.

“We’re just about trying to stay involved, be active and be the best environmental leaders that we can,” Thompson said.

 Megan Becker is an assigning editor. Contact her at [email protected].