Big Bend starts Environmental Club

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College just got a new club on campus where students and staff can learn more about the environment and how to be good stewards of the earth.

The BBCC Environmental Club, where members are called ‘Earthlings,’ aims to not only educate members of the club but also others on Big Bend’s campus and in the local community about environmental issues happening right here in Grant County.

The club is advised by Dr. Barbara Ann Bush and Mariah Whitney, with Sara Hupp as the club’s president.

The idea to create the club came from a combination of concerns and aligned ideas. Dr. Bush said she heard from students about their concerns surrounding the current recycling practices on campus and environment related concerns in the Moses Lake Community. One major concern in the community is the water crisis in which wells are depleting at an alarming rate. Hupp was also concerned about the water crisis and wanted to find a way to inform others of the situation to work towards a solution.

The water crisis is a community problem and the school is a big part of the community, said Dr. Bush. Dr. Bush also said the community needs to have a common goal in order to be able to accomplish solving a problem.

The club hopes to promote cleaning up of the campus and community through clean up events, investigate a more comprehensive recycling, reduce and reuse program for Big Bend Community College that would include being able to recycle items not currently offered, and support each person’s ability make a clean difference in their community.

The club meets every second and fourth Thursday in the cafeteria from 1 to 2 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the club may contact Hupp at sara.olivia.h@gmail.com.