By sjm510
From my time here, I’ve realized there’s a lot that the Irish and Americans can learn from one another. To begin, the US could most certainly learn from Ireland’s advanced recycling system. I’m still amazed that plastic film, plastic bags, styrofoam, and more can all be recycled together here. My involvement with Green GW inspired me to get involved here with UCD’s Environmental Society, Eco Soc. Eco Soc is only a year old, possibly because there are already such good environmental practices in place and not as much demand for an advocacy group like there was at GW. Green GW is 9 years old in comparison. Eco Soc has some really strong goals in place such as to participate in the Green Campus Programme, which encourages a partnership approach to environmental education, management, and action in third level institutions. While brainstorming ideas of how to bring sustainability to campus, they were very receptive to hearing about what worked with Green GW, such as encouraging students to sell and trade used items, trashion show, online surveys, working with administrators, etc. I look forward to staying involved with this group and hopefully helping them to implement strategies that worked well at GW.
I also recently got involved with UCD’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. I’ve been involved with EWB at GW for the past year and find the differences between the two chapters interesting. At GW, most of what EWB does is in preparation for our compost latrine project in El Salvador. At UCD, they hope to soon set up a similar project. For now, however, they are focused on hosting workshops and volunteering events as a way to get students interested in sustainable development. I participated in their 3D printing workshop as well as a workshop held by Concern Worldwide. I look forward to imparting some ideas that worked well at GW onto UCD’s chapter and continuing to learn from them as well.
Finally, I also participated in a “soup run” this past week where a group of UCD students got together and walked around the streets of Dublin, offering food and tea to the homeless. I’ve never participated in something like it before, but it was an eye opening experience. Towards the end of the night, most of the homeless we approached let us know that we were the fourth or fifth soup run that had come through just that night. I know similar organizations exist in the United States, but I think it’s yet another show of the friendly nature and kind heartedness of the Irish people to see 20+ students in just our group alone giving up three hours of their night nearly every night to help others.
I’m excited to keep learning from the Irish as well as share some ideas of my own from back home. It’s a really unique opportunity to experience first hand the differences in student organizations at the two schools and I’m lucky to be in a position where I can offer guidance both to UCD organizations based on what has worked well at GW and to once I return home, to GW organizations based on what worked well at UCD.