This past year, in collaboration with Eastern Mennonite University’s Earthkeepers, and Creation Care Council, the Center helped fund $2000 in mini-grants to six different projects around the EMU community.

The mini-grants are part of an annual competition put on by the Earthkeepers club on campus, inviting students to submit their own sustainability project. This year, the competition received a record number of proposal submissions.

This continued growth in student interest in Sustainability is important, as Harrison Horst, co-president of Earthkeepers notes, “A lot of operations we take for granted at EMU, like recycling by bicycle or the composting tray in the dining hall or reusable mugs in Common Grounds, were ideas conceived and put into place initially by students. The mini-grant competition contributes to a constantly evolving community on campus.”

This year, the grants funded a variety of different community projects, such as funding for parts for the Cycling Club, or to purchase hazelnut and cherry trees for the Sustainable Food Initiative.

The Center contributed to the grants in a continued effort to engage with students in the Anabaptist community, and support innovate projects and solutions. While a mini-grant may seem like a small dent in an attempt at a more sustainable community, just a small amount can go a long way in the minds of creative and passionate students.

See the EMU news article on the mini-grants here.