The Climate Justice Collective (CJC) is a student-led club on campus that works on policy change and social justice issues related to the climate crisis as these often disproportionally affect communities that are already disadvantaged. Students make change by spreading awareness, building community, and affecting policy change.

The Environmental Coalition (EC) is a collaborative organization which brings together environmental groups and individuals to foster sustainability at St. Olaf and beyond. Recent EC work has included campus composting, hosting educational speakers, leading Environmental Student Leader summits, and coordinating Earth Week events. The group meets once a week, feel free to reach out to be a part of the club! Their organizer email is ecorganizers@stolaf.edu .

Earth Week: Each year the Environmental Coalition helps to organize Earth Week, where students host a series of environmental awareness events and nature-related activities throughout campus in collaboration with over 12 other student organizations during the week leading up to April 22nd (Earth Day). Previous activities have included trash pickups in the Natural Lands, an inter-dorm competition to reduce water and electricity usage, and a mini succulent giveaway (with succulents provided by local Forget Me Not florist shop in downtown Northfield).

The St. Olaf Food Recovery Network is dedicated to reducing food waste and hunger in our community. We collect leftover food from Stav Hall and package it for redistribution at the Northfield Area Learning Center, the Key, and the Community Action Center. Volunteering with us takes around an hour of your time and is a great way to give back to our community and our planet! For more information please email the FRN leaders at frnleaders@stolaf.edu.

Ole Thrift Shop is a student-run organization that was established to address the issue of campus waste and support students in their sustainability ventures. Every year, OTS hosts 3 sales using student donations, mainly clothing, they collect at the end of the spring semester. The proceeds from each sale are donated to a rotating selection of local and campus-based organizations that center sustainability in their work. You can reach out to the Ole Thrift Executive Team at olethriftshop@stolaf.edu.

Oles Under the Sun  (OUTS) provides a variety of affordable opportunities for all members of the St. Olaf community to engage in and learn about the outdoors through activities such as walks, hikes, snowshoeing, survival skills classes, camping, lectures, and other educational opportunities regardless of prior experience or ability.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the official student governing body on campus and strives to represent the interests of the St. Olaf student community while overseeing student-related affairs on and off campus.

SGA includes a seat for an Environmental Senator in the Student Senate. The Environmental Senator is an ex officio member of the Environmental Sustainability Committee.

Each year the Curator of Natural Lands chooses several junior or senior students who are familiar with the environment around campus and the Northfield area to be the college student naturalists. Student Naturalists are responsible for the following:

• Organizing and leading field trips related to the natural environment in the area.
• Creating and maintaining an information board detailing seasonal happening and natural events on campus such as tree plantings and phenology.
• Maintaining a social media presence to interest and engage the larger student body
• Organizing tree plantings and other restoration activities on campus.
• Creating environment educational opportunities for the community.

Natural Land Student Technicians perform important maintenance tasks that preserve and restore the natural environment, such as removing invasive species, identifying and collecting seeds from plants, and participating in controlled prairie burns.

Working as land technicians allows students to gain hands-on experience performing important maintenance and restoration work in the environment, and this role prepares them for future careers beyond the Hill.

Founded in 2005, STOGROW is an acre of student-run farmland situated in St. Olaf’s Natural Lands.

STOGROW student farmers grow produce over the summer and sell it to the campus cafeteria, Bon Appétit. They apply learned sustainable farming practices to their cultivation and gain meaningful experience in the economic side of farming.