SIUE has performed a plethora of environmental studies and projects, and we should encourage the campus to enhance sustainability and maintain our natural, local environment.

On Nov. 22, the United Nations hosted their 30th session of the Climate Change Conference. A pledge was also made to renew the COP28 pledge — phasing out fossil fuels in participating nations.

“A new economy is rising. The old polluting one is running out of road,” U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said.

As a non-traditional student, I chose to come back to school when I realized the role I wanted to play in studying natural resources involved insights and training that only college could provide. It’s important to me that the kind of work I do in my career is focused on remediating natural disasters that impact basic natural resources like clean air and water.

My advice to SIUE students hungry for change: you can start making an impact locally. Identify where you want to make a difference and reach out to the community around you. Harness the insight from leaders on our campus and get involved.

I chose to attend SIUE because the campus has a record of green research projects that utilize the experts in our campus community and encourage collaboration with students.

Projects like the Green Roof Environmental Evaluation Network have helped support research into native plants in rooftop gardens and student collaboration for almost two decades.

In September 2018, Green Roofs For Healthy Cities, a non-profit that advocates for the benefits of green roof technology, named SIUE a Living Architecture Regional Center of Excellence, making it one of the first higher education institutions to receive the award.

SIUE’s campus culture is also highly focused on supporting sustainability and student collaboration.

In April 2025, the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability hosted the SIUE Annual Sustainability Symposium, which was themed as an “Energy Water Food Nexus.” The event discussed a number of local initiatives that work on food inequity, water treatment and supplying clean energy.

The symposium also shared information on the collaboration between faculty and students to collaborate with New Earth Farms to create a campus-wide composting program.

Projects like these exemplify the power of campus collaboration. We all have a role to play in making our campus a greener space. This space is not just for students, it’s for all species that call SIUE home.

With the work that has already been done, it is not always clear where we can do better. One area where our campus could improve is in managing native species in our landscaping beds instead of a heavy focus on ornamental and uniform gardening.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, campus landscaping typically features a central space, such as our Quad, that usually features green or natural features united with the daily ongoings of campus — much like the tree hammocks and hillside seating in the middle of SIUE campus.

Typical strategies of building sustainable gardens, especially on a large university campus, may focus on reducing water and pesticide use. These strategies rely on species, including non-natives, that reduce the need for irrigation or resist local predators but do not necessarily serve as a haven or food source for native wildlife.

The SIUE Landscape Master Plan, the official plan for updating the outdoor spaces of SIUE, shows that a number of non-native trees were chosen for use in wide-scale landscaping in parking lots and other locations alongside native species. 

However, if we want to continue to enhance the positive impact we have on our native wildlife, then we have to be willing to expand and utilize native landscaping design to create a palatable and sustainable landscape, but one that also serves our local habitat.

Decisions like the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment at the U.N.’s 30th Climate Conference indicate the role that indigenous-led initiatives and local biodiversity play in ongoing strategies for addressing factors of climate change.

Enhancing the populations of native species and providing sanctuaries for local wildlife would show prospective students that we don’t just value the environment — we are a protector and steward of the natural world.