Students organize climate week to educate campus

A group of MSU students organized the 2023 Climate Week for an independent study class from April 17 to April 21, to spread awareness about climate change to their fellow students, faculty members and the Bozeman community.

“The biggest reason I wanted to start climate week was to spread awareness, but really to facilitate the conversation around climate change and show students and faculty members that this problem is not above us,” said environmental science sophomore Jackson Mundell, a member of the independent study class.

Paul Lachapelle, a professor in the department of political science, and Tony Hartshorn, an associate professor of land resources and environmental sciences, taught independent study class.

“It was inaugural Climate Week, and we hit it out of the park,” Lachapelle said. He said he wants to bring more conversations regarding climate change to campus, and this week is just the start of a series of more regular events regarding this topic. He was also part of starting the Climate Solutions Group, he said, which is a faculty-led initiative working to engage students, staff and students in climate discussion every two weeks during the semester.

“In terms of climate change, which many of us feel is the most critical issue facing all of us but particularly young adults, we need to have very focused conversations and actions around that,” Lachapelle said. Lachapelle and Hartshorn supervised their students as they built workshops so students and faculty could learn and start having these conversations with each other.

Mundell said the event gave students and faculty a safe space to have a conversation. “Giving students a safe space to talk about these issues and get a thorough understanding of what's going on and how they can get involved,” Mundell said, referring to the goal of Climate Week.

“It's very surprising how little some students are aware of more basic facts surrounding climate change and it's something that our education system doesn’t really address currently,” said freshman Frannie Kocemba, another member of the class regarding the preliminary results of a survey sent to students.

Not only did these events serve the purpose of spreading awareness, but they also aimed to change negative perceptions some have about confronting challenging conversations.

“It almost seems taboo in a way to talk about climate change as a campus culture, which is what we're trying to change,” Mundell said.

Maya Krapf, a senior studying political science and philosophy and another class member, was pleased with the turnout and involvement from students and staff at the events. “I thought that our climate talks went really well, and we were able to get a lot of people up and talking,” she said.“It was super interesting to hear everyone's experiences and how climate change has affected them.”

If you couldn't make any of the events or you're looking for one last one to attend, then you're in luck. As they say, save the best for last. This Friday, April 21, from 5-9 p.m. is the NextGen Eco Fest, an Earth Day celebration with live music, a sustainable clothing swap, climate talks and other hands-on stations that teach sustainability.

“We're going to have Orange — a rock band — playing, Ryan from Happy Trash is going to DJ, we’re going to have a sustainability fashion swap as well as a textile bin that will recycle your clothes and a zero-emissions refill station,” Nicole Bondurant, a senior at MSU an member of the class, said.

“It's been really cool to see both the MSU’s community of environmentalists here as well as Bozeman at large environmentalists collaborate on this awesome event,” Bondurant said in regards to the help of the students’ partners and sponsors who helped make this event possible.

Bondurant recommended getting involved with climate change initiatives on campus. “Being surrounded by others who have the same passion inspires me,” she said.

You can also make small changes in your life that contribute to a bigger change, Mundell said. “Even the smallest things students do in their day-to-day routine, like when they leave a classroom and turn the lights off or they’re biking to school instead of driving to school, have a big impact if they start being done on a widespread scale,” he said. “Just go at it with an open mind and a passion for change and try to be the change that so many of us want to see but so few of us act on.”