Sadie Eubanks grew up in Athens and around the University of Georgia, with both of her parents serving on the faculty. Now, the Clarke Central High School graduate has made her own mark on the university.
As a first-year student, Eubanks dove into campus life and community service, joining a sustainability program, teaching at Canopy — an Athens nonprofit focused on flying dance trapeze — and working as a hostess at Chuck’s Fish downtown. She’s remained close to many of her friends from Clarke Central who are now UGA students. Her Athenian background also has helped her connect new friends to the city’s culture: introducing them to downtown dining spots and sustainable shopping locations while keeping their dollars local.
“I was hesitant about attending UGA at first. However, I believe growing up in Athens gave me an advantage. I feel like it better prepared me for my undergraduate experience, which thus far has exceeded my expectations,” Eubanks said.
One of the most significant parts of Eubanks’ freshman year has been her membership in the EcoReps — a small student organization that is application-only. Eubanks learned about this opportunity during UGA’s residence hall move-in week, when she volunteered to help dispose of the plastic and recycling waste produced during the course of move-in. She credits Sarah Kate Hatley, University Housing sustainability coordinator, for making the connection.
“I really enjoyed my experience with Sarah Kate and when she brought up EcoReps, it felt like a natural transition into sustainability,” Eubanks said.
“Sadie is one of the most optimistic people I have ever met, which is a very important quality to have when working in any realm of sustainability, be it social, environmental or economic,” Hatley said. “Over the past semester, I have seen her interact with countless students in the halls during tabling events and genuinely pique their interest because anything that Sadie is passionate about, she will get others passionate about, too.”
The EcoReps meet biweekly with advisors to learn about local sustainability resources and initiatives. They apply that knowledge as peer advocates, providing programing and creating informative bulletin boards. For example, EcoReps work closely with resident assistants, establishing friendly competitions within the dormitories and rewarding the most active groups with prizes like pizza parties. EcoReps can gain experiential learning credit, participate in an overnight camping retreat and attend the Southeastern EcoRep conference. Also in the spring semester, each EcoRep plans and hosts their own event.
Sadie Eubanks talks to another student during the Sustainable Fashion at UGA tabling event at the Tate Student Center. (Caroline Newbern)
Eubanks hosted her event during the afternoon of March 27 on the Tate West Lawn, and she focused it on sustainable fashion at UGA. Prior to college, she was not exposed to the overconsumption related to clothing. Now that she understands it better, she’d like to help her peers learn why fast fashion is harmful to society and the environment, while promoting Athens businesses that have more sustainable shopping options. To expand her reach, Eubanks partnered with other organizations on campus, such as Greek Life.
“Partnerships with other campus organizations are especially exciting because they provide opportunities to expand our effort to more students than those who are already passionate about sustainability. Sustainable solutions are a lot more accessible on campus than most would think, especially with the university’s support. Also, it goes far and beyond not using plastic straws, like sustainability is often boiled down to. Food, architecture, computer science and of course fashion are all intersects of sustainability. There is something for everyone,” Eubanks said.
Following the EcoReps’ strategy of leveraging off-campus resources to promote sustainability on campus, Eubanks’ event promoted UGA’s partnership with Athens-Clarke County’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). This facility is a one-stop drop for items that cannot be recycled due to their chemical composition, hazardous components, size or other reasons. CHaRM collects these materials for reuse, recycling and safe disposal.
Eubanks knows that many students are not aware that packaging waste from fast fashion websites should not be disposed of in a recycling or trash bin and instead should be delivered to CHaRM. Therefore, she helped show students that they have the option to divert packing materials from the landfill themselves without having to leave campus by showing them the ChaRM drop-off site located on the second floor of the Miller Learning Center.
“EcoReps does a phenomenal job at mitigating sustainability problems on campus and using off-campus resources to help resolve them, and this is just one example,” Eubanks said.
The March 27 event, which provided free food to attendees, brought students together and gave them information and tools to make more sustainable decisions — fulfilling the EcoReps’ mission. For Eubanks, taking action and creating a sense of community around sustainability has been refreshing and has provided a newfound source of hope.
“Although we cover heavy topics, we have been able to have fun together, while also making an impact in the community,” she said.
“Passionate students are a catalyst for sustainability initiatives at UGA,” said Kevin Kirsche, director of sustainability at UGA. “Students like Sadie inspire and implement thoughtful actions that lead to a more resilient, secure and sustainable future for all of us.”
