Get Involved

From climate activism to sustainable athletics programs, student clubs are the number one way that students are involved with sustainability and environmentalism on campus. While the Sustainability Office does not have a formal relationship with these clubs, there is frequent collaboration to organize or promote events that center around sustainability on campus and beyond. Please check CampusGroups for more information on how to get involved with these clubs on campus or find out how to start your own club.

• Bowdoin Carbon Fee and Dividend Movement - Creating political will for addressing climate change through nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy.
• Bowdoin Earth Science Enthusiasts - A community of scientists, allies, and leaders interested in spreading knowledge, enthusiasm and interest in Earth and ocean science in the Bowdoin and Brunswick communities.
• Bowdoin Naturalists - Encourages an understanding of local ecology and the natural history that surrounds us in the greater Brunswick and coastal Maine community. Our mission is to help students feel at home in all lands through identifying local species of trees, plants, insects, birds, fungi, and mammals and engaging with the outdoor world through reflection, exploration, art, and discussion.
• Bowdoin Organic Garden - The Bowdoin Organic Garden (BOG) Club is meant to connect students with a close and convenient location for pursuing their passions surrounding farming and sustainable food systems. Our goal is to teach students about organic and sustainable farming through hands-on experience in the garden, as well as forums to discuss and learn about critical issues facing our food systems through farm tours, agricultural fairs, and talks from experts. The BOG is committed to educating the broader Bowdoin community about issues related to local, sustainable, and organic agriculture.
• Sunrise Bowdoin - Sunrise Bowdoin is an official hub of the Sunrise Movement. We believe that climate change is one of the defining problems of our generation, the effects of which are already being felt, and often disproportionately in communities that contribute the least to this change. We organize for a Green New Deal on the state and federal level. Through this we promote a just transition to renewable energy in order to combat climate change on the timeline that science demands, while at the same time addressing the economic and social inequalities of our time, related to class divides, racism, and the crippling hold of corporate money on our political system.
• Yellow Bike Club - Our mission is simple: to provide an affordable means of communal transportation for the Bowdoin Community in a healthy and environmentally friendly (carbon-free) way, and in the process, help alleviate parking and traffic issues on campus and in Brunswick.

Students are crucial members of our sustainability team, helping to spread values of sustainability and environmental stewardship across campus. See below for the various jobs that we offer. Contact c.honeycutt@bowdoin.edu with questions on how to apply, or check Workday for full position descriptions and applications.

• Eco Reps - Eco Reps divide their work between furthering sustainability outreach and education in their residences and collaborating on bigger projects to increase Bowdoin's overall engagement with environmental issues. The work is as varied as the individuals who apply, and students of all interests and experience are encouraged to apply for these jobs. In recent years, Eco Reps have organized clothing swaps, celebrated energy usage reduction challenges, facilitated soap making workshops with botanicals from the Bowdoin Organic Garden, and shown enormous commitment to helping their peers form more sustainable living habits.
• Sustainability Assistants - Every year, a number of students are hired to work in the Sustainability Office. Some students apply with a specific task or project in mind, and others are employed to take care of the many sustainability tasks and duties that pop up over the course of the year. In recent years, Sustainability Assistants have tended compost bins all over campus, organized panels of speakers, created Earth Day events, and tabulated energy and waste data for annual greenhouse gas emissions reports. This job is open to all students, regardless of experience, and is one of the best ways to get a comprehensive look at all that sustainability at Bowdoin entails.
• Give and Go Assistants - Give and Go Assistants are hired to help with all aspects of the Give & Go move out program at the end of the academic year and work as a team to sort, organize, and transport donated items. This work also helps support the annual FreeCycle program.

Student Eco Reps and Sustainability Assistants help plan various events throughout the year. Some of our featured events are listed below but you can check out upcoming sustainability events on CampusGroups and follow us on Instagram for more info!

Give & Go and Freecycle

At the end of every academic year, departing students donate a variety of unwanted dorm and school supplies that are in good condition through our annual "Give and Go" program. Items collected vary from unopened food and electronics to furniture and clothing and are redistributed for reuse and diverted from going to the landfill. Items are donated to Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention, or set aside to be redistributed to Bowdoin students for the annual Freecycle program. Freecycle runs during the summer months and start of the academic year and encourages incoming and returning Bowdoin students to use recycled supplies at no cost instead of purchasing new ones during move-in.

Sustainable Bowdoin Fair 

At the start of the academic year, members of the Bowdoin community are invited to our Sustainable Bowdoin Fair to connect with local organizations, departments, and student groups to learn how you can get involved with sustainability initiatives at Bowdoin and beyond!

Energy Competition

Each October since 2001, twenty-two of the residence halls are challenged to reduce their energy usage from the 1st through the 31st. They are divided into three brackets: first-year residence halls, college houses, and upperclass housing, and work within those brackets to reduce energy more than any of their peers. Overall, the focus is on collective energy reduction, but many students get much more excited about trying to be the most energy efficient in their bracket. Prizes are awarded to the residences that reduce their energy by the highest percentage.

At this time, Bowdoin's metering system allows for Chamberlain, Coles Tower, Howard Hall, Stowe Hall, Stowe House Inn, and 52 Harpswell to compete as the Upperclass housing. All other Upperclass housing is metered through CMP and are not yet able to compete with their peers.

The biggest things students can do to help their dorm win--during the competition and beyond--are:

• • Flip off the lights and electronics when not in use
  • Unplug chargers once devices are fully charged
  • Use drying racks rather than clothes dryers
  • Keep windows closed when the heat is on to maximize thermal efficiency of the dorm.

Green Living Commitment

Bowdoin's Green Living Commitment (GLC) is an easy way for students to learn about the individual steps that can be taken in daily life around campus to live more sustainably. Students commit to an easy 10 actions like turning off lights and using drying racks to get to the basic bronze level, and raise their level by making further commitments on a point-based scale. With those additional commitments, students achieve silver, gold, or green level certifications and are entered into drawings to win gift certificates to local Brunswick eateries. All participants will also receive a sticker showing their commitment to sustainable living! Contact your Eco Rep or the Sustainability Office if you have questions or ideas.

Earth Day

Earth Day is an all-day environmental festival held on the main quad. Student groups host games and info sessions, and the Yellow Bike Club hosts a particularly popular bike tune-up session. Earth Day is nationally celebrated on April 22nd, and was first begun in 1970. It is now one of the most important days of the year for promoting sustainable values and environmental stewardship, both at Bowdoin and across the country.