NE club hopes to educate members

By Denise Tristan/reporter

NE Campus’ Student Environmental Awareness club is making a comeback with a new name: Earth Advocate.

The four officers of Earth Advocate are majoring in different areas related to environmentalism, which allows club members to learn about its various aspects.

The club’s main goal is to educate its members in as many aspects involving environmentalism as possible so they may choose what they’re most passionate about while having a lot of Earth-friendly information in their pockets.

“We’re looking to educate and inspire people in a lot of environmental aspects,” treasurer Rebecca Ratliff said. “We want to make them feel empowered after they learn about what’s going on.”

Ratliff is majoring in environmental science. The president of the club, Kelsea Anthony, is majoring in zoology with a minor in psychology. Vice president Kristeen McGill is majoring in geosciences and oceanography while chairman Michael Legorreta is majoring in horticulture. They all hope to bring their own different backgrounds to the table.

“Because we all come from different areas, it creates a big environmental potluck,” Legorreta said. “It creates a big opportunity for all of us to learn about different fields.”

A typical club meeting starts with announcements for various volunteer events or lectures available for the members to attend. Each meeting has a central theme to it, and a member gives a presentation related to that theme either through a lecture-type discussion, PowerPoint or a few minutes of a documentary or other media. Each meeting ends with a discussion of the information.

“I know a lot about the ocean, but I want to learn about plants, wildlife and oil,” McGill said. “I love the ocean and animals. I want to make sure we always have a nice environment for them and us.”

Earth Advocate is a club where students can share their ideas or concerns about the planet or those creatures living in it. The members are eager to share and learn from each other.

“We’re trying to create a better and greener life for our generation and future generations to come,” Anthony said.