The Students of Sustainability Club at Syracuse University has created a campus-wide contest to promote sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.

Over the next two weeks, students, faculty and staff are invited to take and upload photos of them participating in sustainable activities across campus, such as picking up trash or using a reusable bag. By using the hashtag #SOSchallenge, students automatically enroll in the contest. On Nov. 11, the winner will be chosen during the Conscious Consumption lecture regarding alternative medicine at Watson Theater.

Organization members wished to continue the momentum gained from Sustainability Day on Sunday, so they established an event that will keep the campus engaged with the club.

“After Sustainability Day, we wanted to find a way we could incorporate a larger audience,” said Colton Jones, a senior psychology and pre-med major and co-president of SOS. “We tried to find a way to have fun and interact with the student body.”

Julia Jesse, a freshman chemical engineering major and SOS member, said the contest encourages students to become more involved with sustainable activities and become more mindful of their habits.

Lizzy Kahn, a senior advertising major and the public relations director of SOS, reached out to local restaurants near the SU campus in hopes that they would donate gift cards for the contest. To her surprise, she was able to secure two gift cards to popular restaurants — Cafe Kubal and Strong Hearts Cafe, Jones said.

“The gift cards were sort of an incentive for people, to get them to come out and participate,” he said.

SOS first introduced the contest during the Sustainability Day film showing. The organization then set up a table in the Schine Student Center and encouraged students to sign a pledge stating they would participate. Since then, the club has utilized social media in order to garner further interest and support for the contest.

“I think we will have a good turn out because there is a good initiative for it,” Jesse said. “However, I think in the future we need to work on publicity and making students more aware of our actions.”

SOS has developed a strong presence on the SU campus and some students said they are interested in participating because of how easy it is to enter the contest.

“It’s such a simple task, and I use social media every day, whether it be Instagram, Facebook or Twitter,” said Kelsey Geisenheimer, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major, about entering the contest.

While the contest itself is promoting sustainable activities, Jones and the other members said they hope that this contest will also bring awareness to the club itself and its goals.

“We aren’t just some hippy liberal kids who just want to save the earth; it’s actually a pressing issue,” Jones said. “It’s not something to be intimidated by; it’s something we can all participate in and have conversations about.”

Jesse said that there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding groups like SOS, but said SOS is a group of normal students who care about the planet.

The contest serves as a continuation of Students of Sustainability’s message of promoting green choices and protecting the planet, Jones said. To many of the members, this contest is a small step in the right direction toward increased participation in making SU a greener place.

“Even if just one person goes out and becomes more sustainable and aware, it’s a win for us. It could turn into a domino effect,” said Jones.

Correction: In the Oct. 29 article “Students of Sustainability holds contest to promote environmentally friendly practices,” Lizzy Kahns name was misspelled. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

Published on October 29, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu