The Climate and Sustainability Ambassadors

Academic interest: I am passionate about human-environment interactions. The ways people engage with the physical environment, from urban planning to outdoor recreation, are so important for our quality of life and the quality of our environment. I care about sustainability on every scale, from city planning to environmental politics.

Why I decided to join Ambassadors: I wanted to find an organization that put sustainability into practice on campus, and CSA is just that. Bringing actionable change to OU students and the surrounding Athens area, the Ambassadors show the community what sustainability means.

What I found valuable about Ambassadors: I feel connected to a community of like-minded people through Ambassadors, both at OU and in the Athens area. Last year’s Earth Day festivities are a great example of this—so many of us came together to create a fun atmosphere central to our mission. I also enjoyed volunteering with the Office of Sustainability at the Pawpaw Festival last year and loved getting our message out there in the community!

How it has connected me to other on-campus ventures: Last semester, my friend Riley and I took the idea of stewardship and created a club focused on trash collection. It is called OU Weekend Clean-up Crew, and each Sunday we go out and collect trash around campus. I have also gotten very involved with Outdoor Pursuits, and will soon be training to lead backpacking trips!

My name is Celia Hawk and I am a second-year environmental studies student within the Honors Tutorial College. I am pursuing minors in Outdoor Recreation and Education as well as Political Science. I am very interested in the political dimensions of climate change policy. I am also interested in sustainable agriculture and food access. I decided to join the Ambassadors during my first week on campus as a freshman. I wanted to learn more about sustainability on campus and connect with other people who had the same passion for sustainability as I do. The Ambassadors organization has been very valuable for me because it has helped me learn about volunteer opportunities surrounding sustainability on campus and in the community. The Ambassadors program introduced me to organizations such as Community Food Initiatives - a group I love to volunteer with and support. My experience has been very fulfilling. I get to spend time getting directly involved with sustainable initiatives, instead of just learning about them in class. The Ambassadors group has also helped me meet many sustainably minded people from campus and the community which has helped me develop connections for personal sustainable projects such as the club I co-host: the Athens Hub of the Sunrise Movement.

Hello! My name is Allie Krieger! I am a junior Environmental Science and Sustainability major with a specific interest in agriculture. I decided to join the Ambassadors because I was looking for a way be a part of the sustainability movement on campus. The most valuable thing about being an Ambassador is the rewarding feeling you get after helping others. This group has allowed me to meet really cool people from my major as well as connected me to different organizations that align with my career goals.

I am a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science and Sustainability with a Communications minor. I knew I wanted to become an Ambassador when I saw the table at my Bobcat Student Orientation before I was a freshman, as I was searching for environmental science clubs. I reconnected again with the Ambassadors at the Involvement Fair when I was officially a freshman on campus. I’ve enjoyed participating in meaningful sustainable work while being an Ambassador. I appreciate the way the group is orchestrated, as events are posted throughout the semester, so you can plan and see what events you want to be a part of. Events like green games, where you divert recyclables from the trash during a sporting event, feel extremely impactful to our campus. I also feel that I’ve learned a lot about what sustainability can look like on a college campus. The most important way to encourage sustainability really is to communicate with others and get involved!