Student Org Spotlight: ECO

Editor's note: This article was written prior to University of the Sciences' merger with and into Saint Joseph's University and does not reflect the current, combined institution. References to programs, offices, colleges, employees, etc., may be historical information.

USciences’ Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) aims to raise awareness about various environmental issues. ECO President Daphne van der Molen '23 (ES) shared more about the organization.

Describe ECO- what is the purpose or mission?
The purpose of this organization is to increase awareness of environmental issues to members, as well as provide opportunities for members to get involved in projects and events that revolve around environmental sustainability and conservation.

Why should people join?
We are always looking for more ECO members. You can never have enough people working together to create awareness and solutions for environmental issues. This is a very friendly club with a lot of great people; if you are looking to meet people who care for the environment and like to be creative or volunteer, this club is for you!

What do you like most about ECO?
I joined this club because I wanted to learn how I could get involved in combating environmental issues, and I wanted to get to know more people with similar interests.

The thing I appreciate most about ECO is how passionate and motivated everybody in the club is. Our members thoroughly enjoy working on projects and educating others about the environment. They are wonderful people to know.

What are ECO members like?
We have members from all sorts of disciplinary fields so there really is no “average member”. Anyone with a passion for the environment is free to join ECO.

What kind of events do you participate in throughout the year?
One of the biggest events we do each year is called “Greenstock” which takes place during the week of Earth Day.

We also work on our food rescue project with Philabundance which allows us to save food that is past shelf life but is still safe to eat. We share this food with the local Philadelphia community with the help of our partners, Sodexo and Philabundance, and we are looking to get more students involved in this opportunity.

Connect with ECO via email at usciencesECO@gmail.com or on Instagram @USciencesECO.