By Emily Suhr
On April 22, the Brooklyn College (BC) Sustainability Club kicked off its Earth Week events with the 7th Annual Sustainability Fair, spotlighting student-led environmental and food justice activism.
First held in 2017, the fair has steadily grown into a key campus event focused on environmental awareness and community engagement. There were tables set up across the West Quad that anyone could walk up to and speak with representatives from that organization. Many of the tables offered informative materials, with QR codes making it easy to access additional information online, such as petitions, mailing lists, or how to join a group.
Sustainability Club president, Carina Alessandro, was in charge for the first time this year, taking over at the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
“We had been planning the event since January, because we needed to invite organizations to come much in advance so that their time could be reserved for our event,” said Alessandro. “To do so, we had the support of a lot of people, including students, faculty, and community members–that is, too many to name without someone being missed out.”
“What was as great to see, for me, was that three alum BC Sustainability Club presidents were in attendance at the event for their respective organizations,” added Alessandro. “In the future, I hope to see even more alumni of the Urban Sustainability Program representing more great sustainability works, and perhaps one day I might be one of them!”
The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) provided music and lawn games, inviting students to stop by and enjoy the weather. There were hands-on activities as well, such as making a smoothie by cycling, where pedaling fast enough would blend their drink.
This year’s fair was not only assisted by USG but also brought together many different student groups, giving attendees the chance to learn about environmental initiatives on and off campus, explore volunteer opportunities, and learn about various networking opportunities. From environmental science majors to curious students, the fair encouraged open conversations and offered entry points into activism.
“I think organizations at Brooklyn College, especially those made up of students or serving students, have such a good understanding for each other that really all we have to do is ask!” said Alessandro.
One of the Sustainability Fair’s participating groups was the Public Health and Medicine (PHaM) club, a student organization based around supporting public health events surrounding educational, community, and social activities on campus.
“Its initial mission was to promote dialogue about public health amongst pre-medical students, community members, and public health professionals,” said Natalie Wu, PHaM club president.
This marked PHaM’s second appearance at the Sustainability Fair. They used the event to highlight NourishBC, their student-led community fridge initiative that helps combat food insecurity on campus. This is a project they launched in collaboration with the Sustainability Club three semesters ago. Since then, they’ve distributed 337 meals to students and community members. The meals are prepared every Tuesday and given out for free.
“As food insecurity has been a problem arising on campus ever since our empty cafeteria, our main goal was to not only inform students and faculty about an additional resource on campus, but to inspire others to get involved and be a part of helping our mission in fighting for food justice in our BC community,” said Wu.
“At last year’s Sustainability Fair, we had just freshly launched the community fridge, and now we are back to continue spreading our mission!” added Wu.
The community fridge is just one example of how sustainability intersects with food justice, health equity, and community support. Anyone can volunteer to help make and distribute food, or participate by donating to the fridge.
One of the main goals for the fair was to encourage all students to engage in sustainable living, whether through small everyday actions for those new to it, or by exploring future opportunities for those already studying sustainability.
“I really do hope this event inspired prospective and current students of the program to see what organizations are local to NYC to consider working with in the future, and non-SUST students to see how their interests and goals might align with sustainability too,” said Alessandro.
Alessandro also emphasized that sustainability isn’t just about individual choices; it’s also about creating systems that make those options accessible and meaningful for everyone.
“It is less convenient to make sustainable choices for some than others, and in the face of near-unquantifiable environmental damage in the world, some actions may seem futile,” said Alessandro.
Alessandro continued, “To me, sustainability includes making good practices accessible across the board so that we can not only let the planet be less-worse and its inhabitants less-worse off, but also legitimize the efforts to do so.”
To learn more about the Sustainability Club, visit their Instagram, @bcsustainabilityclub.