The Kent State Marine Conservation club, Ocean Motion, is an environmentally friendly organization that invites students to participate in being involved in nature and developing a green thumb.

Alexandra Lombard, a junior zoology major and president of Ocean Motion said they rescued the group.

“We rescued the group after the past president graduated,” Lombard said.

The group has been functioning for four years, and will now continue its legacy by continuing to make a difference on the Kent campus and the environment through their fundraising and volunteer efforts.

Kelly Fink, a junior biology major and vice president said they did not want the group to fail.

“We didn’t want to see this group fall because it’s so unique and we do a lot of educational activities.”

They are an inclusive group that accepts anyone in any major. Bradley Wargovich, a junior aeronautics major and treasurer of Ocean Motion said, he loves the group because of how open it is to others.

“I love that our club is open to other majors as well,” Wargovich said. “I believe that Ocean Motion is different because we not only want to have fun at our meetings and events, but we also are dedicated to the environment.”

Opening their meetings, they present the animal of the week with basic information on what it looks like, where it lives, and what it eats, followed by a short, educational video clip. They then vote over which organization their raised funding should be donated to.

They table on campus to sell water bottles and raise money for different causes, such as adopting a polar bear, adopting a coral reef, or caring for sea turtles.

Along with raising money, they partake in a lot of community service, such as cleaning the beach on Erie Lake by clearing it of plastic. They also assist Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) in planting tree seeds on Earth Day. Last Earth Day, they helped plant over one thousand seeds in two days.

“Although we are an ocean club, Ohio isn’t near an ocean,” Wargovich said. “However, we always try to volunteer as much as we can, whether it be beach clean ups or at Cuyahoga National Park, and also raise money to help ocean environments throughout the world.”

Their meetings are Monday’s at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center. They also have a Facebook page, Kent State Ocean Motion, for more updates.

They have more meetings and events to attend and assist with in raising funds for the rest of the semester and are always accepting new members.

“We make promises and act on them,” Lombard said.

Emelia Sherin is the science reporter. Contact her at [email protected].