Aron Massey is an Assistant Professor of Geography and Planning here at West Liberty University and also a member of The Sustainability Council, as well as one of the two advisors for the newly formed Sustainability Club, accompanied by Dr. James Wood. In an interview on October 11th, Prof. Massey talked about how the club came to be and what they hope to accomplish in the future.  

The two advisors saw an opportunity to form students together to bridge the gap that started to form on campus when the recycling opportunities started to alter back in 2018. The initial issues were the result of China altering the standards for the quality of recyclable materials they would accept, cutting their percentage of imported trash from around the world down significantly. After the more recent discontinuation of recycling due to the university’s provider, Republic, no longer accepting our recyclable materials, there was a noticeable lack of sustainability on campus.

Prof. Massey and Dr. Wood talked to interested students about forming a club centered around maintaining sustainability on campus. Just a couple months after forming, the club already has thirty members all interested in making West Liberty’s campus more sustainable. The Sustainability Club doesn’t have the resources or ability to reinstate the recycling program, but they are trying to maintain sustainability on campus other ways.

Outside forces have made it difficult for West Liberty’s campus members to be environmentally cautious. The Sustainability Club is working to keep West Liberty’s persona of being a green campus alive until the recycling program can come back and take flight again.