After congregating in the dirt-packed parking lot of Red Fox Meadows Natural Area, students involved with the Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Student Sustainability Center and the Coalition for Sustainable Student Organizations pulled on black medical gloves and unrolled trash bags to take part in a CSSO Community Clean Up Nov. 17. A collaboration between environmentally focused groups on campus, the cleanup days aim to build community and connect students under a common purpose.

“A lot of times, you can feel helplessness when it comes to sustainability and the environment and seeing climate change,” said Raegan Synk, the upcoming marketing director for the Student Sustainability Center. “And this just is, like, one tiny thing that we can do to make a difference, and we’re all doing it together.”

Students at the cleanups spend time hiking at chosen locations, collecting pieces of litter from trails. In just one hour, the group filled multiple trash bags and found a large white tarp that had been left in the field. Although there is no set date or time for the cleanups, they occur as frequently as the students are able to organize and participate.

“(My favorite part is) helping students get involved with the community and helping students by providing them with resources to make sustainable change on campus.” -Bella Conrad, Student Sustainability Center logistics coordinator

The cleanup draws students from all corners of CSU’s campus who are united by one passion: a love for the environment. One of these students, Sophia Richter, is a coordinator of The Patchwork Initiative at CSU. The Initiative aims to encourage students to reuse and mend their own clothing, and it is just one example of a student-run, environmentally sustainable initiative at CSU.

“We are finding areas that collaboration can be possible through sustainable orgs on campus,” Richter said. “For instance, cleanups are one way to do that because the more hands the better. A lot of sustainable student orgs will set up cleanups, and so it’s better to do one big one rather than a bunch of small, spread-out ones.”

The cleanups are held every one to two months and serve the community as much as the environment. While picking up trash, students catch up and reflect on current environmental issues, initiatives, clubs and the semester.

Synk mentioned the importance of finding community to boost morale and provide support for environmental issues among the student body, a sentiment echoed by other students at the cleanup. With the end of the semester nearing, students have found themselves in need of a break and a mental boost, something the cleanups often provide.

Currently, the CSSO is working to build increased collaboration between the different student groups on campus. United by a common goal, the clubs aim to leverage their unique specialties and focuses to champion a greener campus for students. Bella Conrad, the logistics coordinator for the SSC, reflected on her favorite part of working for an environmentally friendly organization.

“(My favorite part is) helping students get involved with the community and helping students by providing them with resources to make sustainable change on campus that maybe they otherwise couldn’t have made or wouldn’t have thought of,” Conrad said.

Reach Ella Dorpinghaus at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.