Students in a University of Illinois environmental communications course have created a “7 Days to Sustainability” campaign that can help you reduce your environmental impact.
In conjunction with Earth Week (Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22), the course’s 25 students researched ways that people can live sustainably through eco-friendly products or practices. Each day during Earth Week, the campaign provides a tip or practice. For example, the April 22 tip encourages people to use toxic-free cleaners by searching for “danger or fatal if swallowed or inhaled” warnings on the packaging.
“As a group, we decided we wanted to do a day-by-day kind of thing,” said UI student Kalina Gajda, who spearheaded the social media and publicity arm of the campaign. “Every day we picked a different topic to help students or the community have some kind of habit they could change, that they could easily focus on. A lot of the steps are very relatable to anyone who lives in Champaign.”
The campaign includes a three-minute video that addresses the group’s Earth Week themes. The campaign also includes a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“We encourage everyone to participate in the 7 Days to Sustainability by liking/sharing our social media posts and incorporating these actions into their habits this Earth Week and beyond,” said Drew O’Bryan, president of the UI Students for Environmental Concerns. “Every small change is significant in mitigating environmental harm and safeguarding our health.”