The ecology club at Seton Hall is recruiting students by participating in hikes, taking care of nature and hosting a variety of activities.
Heather Carlson, the ecology club’s president, said the club is devoted to spreading information on the environment and organizing events with members and students. She said the club’s mission is to educate students on campus and promote positive daily habits.
Since becoming president, Carlson said she had to make some changes and adapt to the club.
“The club focused on the garden, and we had to adapt and turn our focus on ecology,” Carlson said.
She said now the club goes on monthly hikes, plants seeds and hosts activities for students.
“When I joined the Ecology Club, it was because I love the environment and met a great group of people,” Carlson said.
Carlson said the club’s most popular event, Ecofest, celebrates the earth and promotes sustainability. She added that there are raffles, activities and giveaways.
“Ecofest takes place around Earth Day,” said Bitha Beji, a senior biochemistry major and the vice president of the club. “It's our most popular event with 100 students attending.”
Beji said she emphasizes the importance of being environment-friendly on campus.
“Many of the activities we host tend to use paper and plastic,” Beji said. “Using materials to create birdfeeders, snow globes, and on one occasion, tin wallets.”
Despite all the club has to offer, Beji said there aren’t many members. She said being on the smaller side can be difficult because activities, such as their hikes, depend on participation.
“On a good day, we have five members at our meetings,” Beji said.
Beji said the club hopes to attract new members by spreading the word about their meetings, posting on Instagram, hanging posters around campus, and having staff send out mass emails.
Looking back on their time in the club, Carlson and Beji said they have shared many fond memories.
“I remember one time, we were on a hike and our president at the time told us to not look at the mushrooms, don’t touch them, don’t eat them,” Carlson said. “They were scared that one of us was going to get sick.”
Beji said during an event where students made paper bird feeders, the result was not what they expected.
“It was a disaster,” Benji said. “It was a mess, but everyone was laughing and having fun.”
In the future, Benji said the club hopes to go on more hikes around the state, visit local gardens and work on more projects with other clubs.
Carlson said she hopes to bring local guests to places like South Mountain Reservation where she was an intern.
“Join the club, you’ll have a good time,” Carlson said.
The ecology club meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Hall room 110 for students who are interested in learning about the environment and participating in activities.
Samantha Rueda can be reached at samantha.ruedagaona@student.shu.edu
