Student Org Spotlight: CampaignGW

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By Alex Teerlinck

With everything gone virtual in the past few weeks, it’s important to remember what we were doing and what we were really passionate about at GW before quarantine. You should still feel encouraged to participate in your student orgs- oftentimes, you can make a difference from your couch (or wherever it is that you choose to do your work).

This week, I wanted to highlight a great org at GW that we can help out with whether we’re on or off-campus, Campaign GW. The light switch stickers reminding you to conserve energy, recycling posters (when in doubt, throw it out of course), and leading green move-out are just a couple of the ways that Campaign relays the message of sustainability across GW’s campus. I would highly encourage anyone who cares about our planet and its future to get involved with this org- there’s a niche for everyone and we as students have more power than we think to take action not only on our campus, but in the DC community as a whole.

I reached out to a CampaignGW intern, Natalie Wright, who gave more insight on what the organization does on campus, what they’ve been doing during the online period, and most importantly, why we should get involved!

Q & A Session (Some responses have been shortened)

Q: What is Campaign GW?

A: CampaignGW is a student-run forum which exists to give students a voice in the future of campus. Throughout GW’s history, our focus has varied from the overall campus plan to sustainable development, as well as educating our fellow students on how the Facilities team that we are a part of works. CampaignGW has taken initiative in supporting other developments, including new buildings, the first Green Roof, Green Move-Out, and creating the current composting program, in addition to becoming a fully-fledged student organization with its own events.

Q: What are some of the things you do on campus?

We have general body meetings twice a month, where we host speakers who give presentations about sustainability-related topics, such as the Sunrise movement and the fast fashion industry. They can be from other environmental orgs or just passionate students! At these meetings, we also look to our student members to gauge any concerns with or ideas they have for campus, such as single-use utensils at Pelham Commons and campus composting on the Vern. We also work with our Eco-Reps (student members) to brainstorm and carry out little sustainability-minded events in their individual residence halls throughout the semester, such as make-your-own toothpaste and BYOM (bring your own mug) coffee in the entrance. We also do larger events, based in broad categories of either sustainable consumerism or sustainable service. These include trips to a local farmer’s market or thrift store, river cleanups in some of DC’s parks, and on-campus clothing swaps in the spirit of reducing textile waste. We also had plans to expand our engagement with other organizations, such as volunteering with “The Store,” GW’s food pantry, and touring the Textile Museum and Harlan Greenhouse in SEH!

Q: What has Campaign GW been doing during the online period?

We have some amazing interns who write a weekly newsletter with great tips, DIYs, recipes, and virtual volunteering opportunities, with a focus on sustainability in addition to general wellbeing. The newsletter also has general morale boosters such as cute animal Instagram accounts, as well as links to virtual activities and resources! We have also been conducting our own virtual events via Zoom, including a conversation about what COVID-19 means for our environment, and a couple of sustainability-themed movie discussions. Our goal is to provide our Eco Reps, and any other interested students, with a sense of normalcy and community, as well as to not lose sight of our overall mission.

Q: Why should students get involved with Campaign GW?

Students should get involved with CampaignGW for a multitude of reasons! It’s a great way to learn about a variety of student orgs and initiatives, as well as engage not only with campus, but with the greater DC community. Most of all, it’s important to have the student body’s ideas incorporated into the future and present state of campus. Ranging from Pelham Commons’ reusable utensil promotion, to our presence at the GW Master Plan meetings earlier in the semester, our goal is to ensure that the campus of GW is moving in the right direction. That voice is a lot stronger when it comes from the many rather than the few.

Follow @campaigngw on Instagram to see what the org is up to! Also- sign up for their awesome online-period newsletter with tons of resources and ways to get involved from home here.