Elon’s Eco-Reps help promote sustainability and foster campus engagement in the practice of environmental consciousness.
Elon University’s Eco-Reps are a group of peer educators – all centered on the goal of helping their fellow students understand sustainability on campus.
Eco-Reps educate their peers about environmental and sustainability issues through three primary outlets: coordinating with Residence Life staff to incorporate sustainability themes or practices into residential programs; delivering Sustainable Living lessons to Elon 101 and Global Studies courses as requested; and contributing to and promoting Office of Sustainability events such as Campus Sustainability Week and Earth Week.
“We all do three events a semester,” said Eco Rep Sophie Remisio ’27. “We like to make it fun and exciting without forcing it on anyone.”
One of Remisio’s favorite events was “Sustainable Sweets,” where she gave a presentation on the cocoa industry and provided tips on how to purchase more sustainably sourced chocolate.
“Then we did a chocolate tasting with a bunch of different brands that were sustainable,” Remisio explained. “It was so fun!”
These events are made possible through the help of Kelly Harer, associate director of sustainability for education and outreach. She acts as a mentor and support system for the Eco-Reps and has been working at Elon since 2017.
“My job with the Eco-Reps is to really mentor and support them in the work that they do,” Harer said. “I teach them about environmental justice and initiatives at Elon. The sustainability intern and I work together to train them, go to their meetings, support them and help them flesh out ideas.”
Not only is the Eco-Reps program a great way to learn and give back to the community, but it serves as an outlet for peer collaboration and friendship.
“I felt like it gave me an outlet to do something that was making a difference,” explained Eco-Rep Virginia Campbell ’26, when asked about why she joined. “I love the office, I have a lot of friends through this work, so I just really love my job.”
One of the easiest methods the Eco-Reps recommend to stay sustainable was simply being conscious of food waste.
“You really don’t have to live in a hut in the woods to be sustainable,” Remisio said. “Maybe asking for half portions at the dining hall and going back for more, little things like that.”
A tip Harer suggests for students to stay sustainable is to participate in Project 333: a minimalist approach to shopping and clothing consumption that encourages only owning and using 33 items of clothing per season to limit product waste.
“I started doing this maybe five years ago now,” Harer said. “I thought I would hate it. But I love it. Everything in my closet matches, it’s so easy to get ready in the morning, and most of all it’s a great way to stay sustainable.”
To learn more about sustainability at Elon and campus events, visit the Office of Sustainability website.