AUBG Sustainability Club: ‘Change, Passion, Community’
If you care about the world around you and want to make a change by helping preserve the environment, AUBG Sustainability Club is where you will be able to work with wonderful and like-minding people to achieve that goal. You will have the opportunity to leave your positive mark, no matter big or small, and contribute to a more sustainable life. Read our interview with the President of the club, Binderiya Usukhbayar if you want to learn more about the club's activities.
How would you describe your club in 3 words?
Change, passion, community.
What is your club about?
The AUBG Sustainability Club was established to promote sustainable campus habits and shine light on the important issues through creative and new ways. We aim to work closely with the students, staff, alumni and the administration – basically everyone in relation to AUBG.
What kind of people are you looking for in your club?
We are looking for people who can imagine the changes they want on campus and make it come true. Most of our members expressed that they joined the club to find like-minded people, learn more about sustainability and develop personally and professionally. Once you are a member, you are free to choose what you want to experiment with and are always encouraged to grow. If you are into content creation and would like to use your creativity for a good cause, our door is always open.
What kind of events do you organize?
As a new club, we have organized various types of small and large events. From distributing plastic caps collection stations in every corner of campus to recycling for big campus events, negotiating with the administration on policy changes, organizing webinars and cleaning Blagoevgrad; our first semester was filled with excitement and spontaneity. We do not have a big signature event yet, and I think it’s better that way because it is very easy to get caught up on making something perfect that you forget about what the members want to do or experiment with. Currently we are hoping to launch our “Down to Earth” project in cooperation with the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and the U.S. embassy for Spring 21.
What is the meaning behind your club’s name?
Our club aims to bring about sustainability at AUBG and the Blagoevgrad area at a greater scale. In order to make it easier to interpret and being the first club to bring about campus-wide environmental change, we wanted to keep it simple and clear – so we decided to name the club ‘AUBG Sustainability Club’. It is very easy to neglect the effect we have on the environment and get caught up on the busy university life; and we are here to remind you simple and easy ways to be more sustainable.
How has being part of this club enhanced your AUBG experience?
It is amazing to be surrounded by friends who all excel in what they do and care about the environment. I have very high hopes for how much potential the club has, and I hope we will be able to reach everyone. The cooperativeness of the administration and constant support from our peers have been very helpful.