Whether it’s your freshman or senior year at Cal, joining an on-campus student organization is a great way to cultivate community in your life. However, the hundreds of clubs and organizations welcoming new members each semester can be very overwhelming.
There are over 40 environmental organizations on campus that provide opportunities to get involved in environmental advocacy and find support among fellow students. The majority of environmental organizations are open to all students – regardless of major – and the only prerequisite is an interest in the environment and sustainability.
To make it easier to find an organization that matches your interests, here is a summary of five well-established student organizations that cater to different groups within the environmental community.
Callus without herbicide
This student-run organization is the UC Berkeley branch of the global organization Re:wild Your Campus, formerly known as Herbicide Free Campus. The club holds community weeding days open to all students to help manually remove weeds from campus gardens as an alternative to toxic herbicides. Information about events is announced on its instagram; you can also join the broadcast list.
Berkeley Student Farms
Berkeley Student Farms is a coalition of eight student-run gardens on and near the UC Berkeley campus. The organization organizes opening hours in the gardens for students to help cultivate the land and just be in nature. The farms incorporate ecological principles into farming practices to support soil health and biodiversity. Produce from the farms is donated to the UC Berkeley pantry. You can get involved by finding the events and schedule of opening hours on Instagram or the coalition website.
Students of the Color Environmental Collective (SCEC)
This student organization is a space for students of color to find opportunities to engage in social and environmental movements, as well as find community in shared experiences. SCEC focuses on centering marginalized voices in discussions of social and environmental issues and the organization raises the conversation about environmental racism on and off campus. If you identify as a person of color, you can find meeting updates on the organization’s Instagram.
Latinxs and the environment
Latinxs and the Environment is an initiative led by the Center for Latino Policy and Research at UC Berkeley. The organization provides opportunities for Latinx students to engage in research related to the Latinx environment and community by hosting seminars, conferences, and mentorship programs. To stay up to date on future opportunities and keep up with ongoing events and resources, you can subscribe to his mailing list.
The Berkeley Student Food Collective
The Berkeley Student Food Collective is a student and community-run grocery store next to the UC Berkeley campus that offers healthy, sustainably produced foods at affordable prices. As a non-profit cooperative organization, BSFC contributes to food justice by making ethical and sustainable food more accessible. You can support the association by making a donation on its website or shop at its storefront located at 2440 Bancroft Way in Berkeley. You can apply for membership to receive a 10% discount in exchange for volunteering in the store and attending weekly meetings and monthly workshops.
The UC Berkeley community has a lot to offer students who are passionate about social and environmental issues. On a large, sometimes overwhelming campus, it is important to find support and community among other students with similar interests and values. Joining a student organization is a great opportunity to make a campus of nearly 50,000 students feel a little smaller.
Contact Chloé Tiltonat [email protected].
