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Making Paper, Making a Difference
By Jadell Forman 90
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In December and February, the club sold $200 worth of stationery they made from discarded paper. The profits will be donated to a microfinance organization that combats poverty by funding business ventures of Third World citizens. Last year, club members put their earnings to work in Indonesia by turning nearly two pounds of used paper into $250 worth of aid for tsunami relief efforts.
"I'm a paper scrounge," says faculty advisor Dr. Steve Herr, who intermittently collects waste paper from various sources on campus. Club members meet twice each semester in a lab to recycle that waste paper into decorative sheets and envelopes. The labor-intensive process requires two hours to produce just four sheets and matching envelopes. Dr. Herr figures, "[A]t minimum wage, the labor costs would be about $2.50 per sheet." But club members, who volunteer their time, believe in the cause.
"I want to raise awareness and, furthermore, raise some convictions," says club vice president McCready. When asked what he would say to another Christian who thinks his efforts for the environment are misplaced and not actually "Christian," McCready said he'd pose a few questions himself.
"I would ask them what they consider to be a blessing from God--those things which Christians are allegedly grateful for, and while acknowledging that they are God's and a gift from Him, that we are to be good stewards of them while they are in our possession. And if they didn't name our environment, [I would] suggest it."
Similarly, when club president Kerry Costello looks at nature, she sees God's glory and her responsibility to be a wise steward. "We can find a durable equilibrium with the earth by using sustainable methods and getting back from it for a long period of time ... or we can simply destroy it and move on, which is eliminating a resource or 'talent' that God has given us."
Working three summers on a farm on Martha's Vineyard inspired Costello to pursue a career that fosters "durable equilibrium." She says, "I'd love to work with Fair Trade ... They're an organization that gives farmers fair wages for their products and trains farmers in becoming organic, which also gives them higher wages."
All told, about 25 students belong to the club, many of whom are enrolled in environmental science and environmental geography courses. ESC began in 1998 "as a vehicle for concerned students to exercise their concerns about the environment," according to the club's Web site.
Herr came to ORU from the petroleum industry and launched the university's environmental studies minor. At that time, he noticed the need for a club through which Christians could care for creation. After he made and distributed flyers to test interest, a handful of students responded.
According to Costello, past club events included cleaning ORU's Lake Evelyn and meeting to discuss strategies for increasing student body involvement. Spring '07 plans include getting T-shirts, going camping, and participating in local cleanups (see below). The club welcomes new members, curious visitors, and, of course, paper purchasers.
For more about the Environmental Stewardship Club, click here.
Spring Cleanup Events in Tulsa:
- Saturday, March 10, Mountain Bike Trail Cleanup at Turkey Mountain; contact Aaron McCready, aaronmccready@oru.edu, 918.488.3178.
- Saturday, April 28, Haikey Creek Cleanup; contact Dr. Herr, sherr@oru.edu, 918.495.6920.
