By: Naiyi Jiang
Do you know how many times plastic can be recycled beforeit is no longer recyclable? Do you know how big of an impact you can make just by taking your own reusable bag to go grocery shopping? Wanted to know more about those related topic? Miami University has a new student organization called Zero Waste Oxford. Their mission is to inform more people about the negative impacts of the plastic waste as well as offer some fresh ideas about creating your own sustainable everyday products.The founders of this organization are seniors Katja Diekgers and Madison Olds. Their goal is to end single-use plastics in Oxford, Ohio and reduce waste to save our planet. They want to tell people how to become more sustainable because they notice some people are apathetic to the problems that Earth and other species are facing. For this semester, they have some events planned like, picking up trash around their blocks every Saturday morning, exchanging cloth with the students and community members and having a few DIY events where they will be teaching people how to make their own toothpaste, deodorant, multi-surface cleaner etc. Later in the semester, they will be taking a trip to Philadelphia for a student-led Zero Waste Conference.
Zero Waste plans to hold meeting bi-weekly where they will talk about tips on becoming more sustainable and plans to contact the local business about ways they can become more sustainable and produce less waste. Also, they plan to work closely with and promote local businesses that are already making moves to become more sustainable, such as Moon-Coop and the Farmer’s Market. Plus, a resident of Oxford and founder of Take3Oxford, Carla Blackmar, is also someone from the community who they work with in promoting Zero Waste.
Zero Waste’s presidents have impressive large and small-scale goals when it comes to a sustainable future. “If I had the money and power to help mankind, I would try to take down the big oil industry leaders and work to spread more renewable/sustainable resources,” Madison said. Katja prefers to educate more people about how significant to live a sustainable life and encourage people to make a difference just by making little changes.
Both of them have a very strong sense of justice for the Earth and supportive attitude for a sustainable life Their organization will be involved with the community a lot, and you can join them for all the fun and meaningful activities. Contact them by emailing zerowasteoxford@gmail.com if you are interested in helping or just wanting to learn more!