CSUN Environmentalists Make Saving the World Fun

by Chana Kaplan

For the CSUN Environmental Club, the goal is simple: make environmentalism and sustainability accessible to students. 

Lucy Brodersen, president of the club and a CSUN sophomore majoring in entertainment media management, said that this is what she hopes to provide for the CSUN community.  

“The vision that I have for this club is to create that for everyone. Where people can get involved in sustainability without having to sacrifice too much, or get too much out of their comfort zone,” Brodersen said.

Protecting the natural environment, supporting life and being mindful about the use of resources are some of the concerns of environmentalism and sustainability.

Environmentalism can be a daunting effort to undertake, with big, complex problems that may seem too large for one college student to solve. But Brodersen likes to keep it down to earth, while helping the Earth. 

“A lot of the time people look at it, and they think it's too much effort, or they think it's too niche of an interest where they can participate. But that's not true,” Brodersen said. “It's all around us.”

The CSUN Environmental club is a relatively new addition to the collection of clubs on the campus. Getting its start in October of 2022, the club has been expanding its efforts to initiate environmental activities on and off campus.

Thrifting Thursday is one example of an event that helps students incorporate sustainable practices into their everyday life. At this “clothing swap,” students exchange gently-used clothing they no longer wear. Old items get a new lease on life, and ultimately, stay in circulation. 

Brodersen said that she was surprised and thrilled by the turnout of these events. Exemplifying the environmental club’s ethos to make sustainability exciting for students, people who had not previously shown interest in the club’s events showed up to this one. 

She said that some people who showed up did not necessarily participate because it was a sustainability effort. They came because it was fun.  

For the Environmental Club, that is the point. 

 “We don't want people to be like, ‘Oh, this is work. This is something I don't want to do, but I'm doing it for the sake of sustainability,’” Broderson said. “We want it to be fun, and we want people to be happy that they're getting involved.” 

There are many points of entry into environmentalism for club members. Aidan Cornell, vice president of the club and a junior majoring in electrical engineering, got involved with the club simply because he loves nature and the outdoors.

This is why he likes to bring a conservational feel to the events he plans for the club. 

“I'm really into rock climbing, hiking, really anything outdoors,” Cornell said. “And it's really important to me to keep these places clean. I like doing volunteer work to keep these places open for other people in the future.” 

The environmental club created multiple events to help students develop appreciation and care for nature. Students gather in park trails such as Woolsey Horse Trail in Canoga park to venture through the trees, up rocky slopes and down grassy paths, while enjoying the relaxing sounds of chirping birds and babbling creeks.

In CSUN’s very own garden, participants in the Environmental Club can help grow garlic, kale, tomatoes, basil, cilantro and strawberries in a plot designated for the club.  

For Marlene Lopez, environmental science major and social media manager of the club, it is a way for her to get involved in environmentalism now, as she studies to eventually tackle some of the issues facing the environment in the future.

“I just really wanted to get hands-on experience working with the environment. And to see, ‘Is this really what I want, what I like,’” Lopez said. “And I do. I love it. And I love this club.” 

Whether exchanging used items to get more mileage out of them, trekking the winding trails of the California hills or growing vegetables in the school’s garden, the CSUN Environmental Club gives students the opportunity to forge community while giving a little bit of care to the environment that is right outside their doorstep.

As the president of the club, Brodersen aims to make positive environmental change right on the CSUN campus. 

“I think that it's hard to make change nationally. That's the job for politicians. For us, we're involved on campus, and I think this is already a large community of people,” Broderson said. “We've seen changes be made at a local level, and it has had a positive effect. That's what we're striving for.”