Climate change has become a rising concern in the past decade, especially for younger generations. ISU Climate Reality Corps is backing these concerns as they attempt to spread awareness around campus.

The Climate Reality Project is a global organization, and according to their website their mission is to, “catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent access a necessity across every level of society.”  

The Climate Reality Project is focused on creating action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and speed up a global shift to renewable energy. According to their website, they hope to do so by, “empowering everyday people to become activists, equipped with the tools, training, and network to fight for solutions and drive change planet-wide.”

ISU Climate Reality Corps is a campus corps that contributes to the Climate Reality Project’s goals. The main goal of these campus corps is to get colleges to commit to 100 percent renewable energy. 

Ashley Brent, junior in environmental science and one of the presidents of Iowa State’s corps, said, “Climate change is a global issue, it’s an issue that’s going to impact everyone; it’s a crisis.”

Iowa State is a land-grant institution. Land-grants focus on practical agriculture, science and engineering to better our society. 

“Colleges, especially land-grant institutions, which were built to progress scientific fields […] should be involved and, kind of, leading a change. They should be the progressives coming up with technologies and solutions to this problem,” Brent said. 

ISU Climate Reality Corps is a group of students, with the occasional help from faculty, who do research in looking at energy consumption and discussing with faculty and staff about what they’re doing in attempts to better the climate, and teach them how to become more sustainable and work with environmentalism. The organization meets every Monday and any student can join.

Climate Reality Corps’s main goal is not only to get the university to commit to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, but to prioritize sustainability and increase transparency with students about the issues. Brent says this will be most possible with the help of more students. If it’s a student priority, it will become an administrative priority, Brent said. The Corps is on their way to reaching their goals, but reaching the administration is always complicated. 

“We passed the climate resolution through the student government, so that got President Wintersteen to make her own sustainability plan that is currently under review, and there’s no guarantee it will be passed,” Brent said. “So we are going around to administration and faculty, and also donors, to get a better idea of why it hasn’t been passed and what we can do to ensure that something is done.”

ISU Climate Reality Corps has had many events, such as documentary screenings and strikes. They are currently organizing their next strike, which will take place on campus on Earth Day, April 22. 

“We plan for it to be a very large strike, just so administration understands that students are passionate and that they want the school to prioritize a climate action plan of some sort because it is an issue that’s going to impact all of us,” Brent said. 

Brent says the strike is still in the works, but the general plan is to start at the library with chanting and rallying, then march to the power plant. After this they will pass the Memorial Union and end at Beardshear Hall with more chanting and protesting. The strike is meant to be campuswide, and everyone is welcome.

When members of the Climate Reality Corps aren’t planning strikes, they’re performing small day-to-day actions that can also make a change. 

“Whether that’s, ‘oh I’m gonna turn off my light,’ ‘oh I’m gonna use a reusable water bottle,’ that’s going to make an impact because people are going to notice and you can share that knowledge and spread it to others,” Brent said.

Brent also said climate justice is such a large issue to handle that sometimes individual action feels like it doesn’t matter, but it always does. She says when trying to enact justice, the most important thing to do is stay informed. 

“One of the ways to have action is to know that there’s a problem, so it’s definitely important to stay informed. Also, speak about it, don’t keep it to yourself. Share what you learned with your friends,” Brent says. 

Brent reiterated the importance of students questioning the administration in order to prove importance.

“Continue to ask questions and continue to pressure the administration, speak out on the issue. It’s pretty tough but it really is about staying proactive and not letting things happen without you knowing […] Every little thing counts, it’s going to inspire someone,” Brent says.