The Environmental Management Club at James Madison University is actively involved in improving environmental conditions and awareness among both students and the local Harrisonburg community. Some events and activities that this club has participated in are presented below.
JMU Clean Energy Coalition
The Environmental Management Club is a charter member of the JMU Clean Energy Coalition. The Coalition’s ultimate goals include but are not limited to global climate change education, sustainability projects, and getting the university to commit to 100% renewable electricity usage. EMC has been collaborating with the Coalition since 2006.
Off Campus Recycling
There are few students living off campus who are aware that the City of Harrisonburg provides free weekly recycling pick up and free recycling bins. Call 434-5928 or visit https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/refuse-recycling-program for more information. A recycling guide is available there.
Electronics Recycling Day
Two former EMC members organized an Electronics Recycling Day as part of their ISAT senior thesis. The event gave local residents the opportunity to drop-off their old electronics for proper disposal. The service was free to all participants and prevented potentially hazardous materials found in electronics from ending up in the landfill. EMC members have volunteered at the annual event, held at JMU. Note: The Electronics Recycling Day event is no longer held by the City or County because the private sector began providing these services. However, local drop off locations are listed on a city webpage https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/refuse-recycling-program (navigate to Electronics Recycling on the left).
AWMA South Atlantic States Section Conference
The Environmental Management Club was asked to hold the 2003 AWMA regional conference for the South Atlantic States Section. This is significant because we are the first student chapter to be invited to host such an event. The event, held in November, was highly successful.
Stream Cleanup
The Environmental Management Club adopted a section of a stream in the valley. Every semester a small group of club members go to the site and pick up trash that people driving by have left between the road and the stream. In addition, EMC promotes the Annual Blacks Run/ Downtown Clean Up Day, held every second Saturday in April. In 2008 over 500 volunteers picked up 4000 lbs of waste and 600 native plants were planted in Harrisonburg. Visit http://www.cleanstream.org for more info.
Friends of Black's Run Greenway
Black's Run is a highly polluted stream that runs through the heart of Harrisonburg, VA, which every environmental student at JMU is well versed. There is currently a community push to clean up the stream, and to improve the habitats directly around the stream, including the construction of new green parks in the downtown area. The Environmental Management Club began a relationship with the organization, “Friends of Black's Run” through the newly created Community Service committee. Through this relationship, the Environmental Management Club hopes to increase its participation in this movement through volunteering and education.
Guest Speakers
The Environmental Management Club has hosted a wide range of guest speakers on relevant environmental topics. Topics have ranged from sustainability and development issues in the Shenandoah Valley to the state of the Blacks Run watershed.
Environmental Professionals Workshops
The Environmental Management Club hosts an Environmental Professionals Workshop in partnership with AWMA's South Atlantic States Section (SASS). These events feature a diverse group of environmental professionals from Virginia and Maryland, and students in attendance have the opportunity to meet professionals and learn more about their respective fields. EMC intends to continue this activity, coordinating with other groups on campus with similar interests.
Fundraising
We have attempted a few different forms of fundraising thus far, including selling recycled notebooks that we had bound last semester and composing equation/general information sheets for some of the classes in the ISAT curriculum. These were quite popular, but we did learn ways to decrease costs while increasing profits. Fundraising is an element that the JMU chapter is still working to improve.
