While the ongoing pandemic has made meeting and organizing events as a club more interesting, the Villanova Environmental Group (VEG) is using this opportunity to explore new methods to galvanize support for sustainability and environmental justice. This semester, VEG will be publishing a bimonthly column in The Villanovan centered around environmental issues that affect the University and the surrounding communities as well as information about how to incorporate more sustainable practices into everyday life. 

 

One of the unique facets of VEG is the broadness of its mission. Each year, as members of the leadership change, the goals of the group change as well. Throughout its history, VEG has tackled issues such as global climate change and challenging the University’s unsustainable practices. 

 

Recently, VEG has engaged with the Villanova community in many different ways. It has organized trips to local farms and gardens as well as helped coordinate the University’s Earth Day of Service. It has also created educational materials related to converting to a more sustainable plant-based diet and even held a plant-based food tasting table in the Connelly Center.

 

The VEG leadership team includes Madeline Scolio as president, Taylor Thorton as Vice President, Anna Connolly as Social Media Coordinator, Katherine Melbert as Secretary and Lucie Scura as Volunteer Coordinator. With an executive board composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores, VEG plans to work more on longer-term goals, primarily centered around local activism and service. 

 

This semester, the club hopes to collaborate more with other sustainability and environmental groups on campus as well. It is collaborating with members of the University’s Sustainability Committee on figuring out how students can provide support to local organizers in Chester, PA who are working towards shutting down one of the nation’s most polluting garbage incinerators. 

Although the pandemic has complicated many of VEG’s plans for the semester, the club is still very excited to engage with the Villanova community around issues relating to sustainability and the environment. If you have any interest in becoming more involved in the organization, contact [email protected] or look for general body meeting dates to be posted on the Instagram account @villanova.environmental.group.