Student Organization Spotlight: EcoReps

The following is an overview of the EcoReps club on Butler’s campus, highlighting its goals, and different upcoming events and plans for the organization. 

Maya Illanes | millanes@butler.edu

The Butler student organization, EcoReps, exists for students who have a passion for environmental conservation to act as representatives for the environment and sustainable practices. EcoReps also creates opportunities to transform Butler into a more sustainable institution and help its students become more sustainability-minded through education and outreach. 

EcoReps aims to support students, faculty, and staff members on Butler’s campus along with the surrounding Indianapolis community. Lillie Michael, President of EcoReps, shares that the organization’s goal is to, “make the Butler community aware of the small and easy steps they can take to make sustainable changes on BU’s campus.” EcoReps works in collaboration with Butler faculty and staff to make larger environmental changes on campus. Through it’s different events such as, “Trash to Treasure” where students can donate housing items at the end of the year instead of throwing out their reusable items. And during its Fall Clothing Swap, EcoReps works to build a sustainable campus. 

Members of EcoReps work to spread the word on all of the engaging and motivating ways students can be sustainable through the organization's different outreach events. Outreach events the organization has planned for the rest of the semester include, “PLARN,” an event where students will create sleeping mats out of plastic bags to donate to local Indianapolis homeless shelters, a can drive, where students will collect aluminum cans, “Trash to Treasure,” where students will donate reusable housing items, the clothing swap, and environmental guest speakers in collaboration with Bethanie Danko.

One of the most successful events that EcoReps plans each year is the Fall Clothing Swap. This event would not be possible without the help of EcoReps members and executive teams, external volunteers, and shoppers. Lauren Crimmins, Vice President of EcoReps, spent a tremendous amount of time making sign-up volunteer shifts for the event, as well as a PowerPoint, to display during the event to show students what EcoReps is all about. On the day of the event, volunteers meet an hour early to set up the Irvington Community Room, organize clothing, make signage for clothing, and prepare for the day’s event. Lillie Michael shares that her favorite part about the event is, “...seeing the Butler community come together and have fun doing something sustainable. During this event, I see a lot of smiles, laughs, and pure joy. This event is a great way to bring people together, give back through volunteering, and showcase the beauty of environmental sustainability.” All members of EcoReps come together and spend a lot of time and effort planning and preparing to make the event as successful as it is.

For more information about EcoReps, follow the organization on Instagram @ecoreps.butler or email Lillie Michael (lmichael@butler.edu).