A Rocha works with households, churches, and schools around the country to promote creation care. One of our campus partners is the Creation Care Club at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. We caught up with current president Torah Harding-Laman to hear more about the group’s environmental stewardship activities.
Can you give a brief overview of the Creation Care Club at Lee? What are the group’s primary focuses and activities?
Lee University’s Creation Care Club (LeeCCC) started in the spring of 2015. Our group is dedicated to giving Lee students opportunities to be active in stewardship of God’s creation, encouraging and participating in the improvement of Lee’s campus with regard to the health and happiness of the creatures that live there (including plants, animals, and people), educating the Lee community about environmental issues and Christian stewardship, and advocating for ecologically responsible policies and practices.
How did you first hear about A Rocha and the Creation Care Club on your campus? What drew you to it? Were you already interested in conservation, or was it new to you?
I first heard about A Rocha through Lee Creation Care Club while I was club chaplain (the semester we became an A Rocha Campus Partner), and I got even more connected with A Rocha when I took over the presidency. I discovered LeeCCC during our “Club Lee” event and instantly knew I wanted to be part of it. I have always been an outdoors enthusiast (probably due to the fact I was born and raised in Southeast Alaska), but I sensed I was lacking something in my engagement with the outdoors. Through LeeCCC, I began practicing environmental stewardship. LeeCCC has become more than a place to satisfy my curiosity. It has become a community that has helped refine my values and habits in order to take better care of all creation.
Why do you think it’s important for college students to be engaged in these issues?
The short yet impactful college years provide a time of exploration and refinement. College students have a unique opportunity to engage with major issues and explore ways in which the world can be improved into a healthier and more peaceful place. Environmental issues are related to numerous other world problems because the state of the environment impacts ALL of life. Through environmental restoration, there is potential for holistic restoration.
Can you share about your efforts to get recycling bins on campus? How did that project become a priority? How has your team approached the process and worked with school leadership to make it happen?
As a club, we explore ways in which we can encourage Lee University as an institution to better care for creation. Lately, we’ve been focusing on developing a recycling program on campus. Through the example of other universities, we noticed that on-campus recycling is a major way our Lee community could be better environmental stewards by reducing our waste output to landfills. Through a mixture of persistence and opportunity, we have started a unified conversation between students, professors, grant writers, maintenance workers, and representatives from our local West Rock Recycling Division. Previous attempts have been made for campus-wide recycling, so we have approached the project knowing past mistakes and prioritizing diverse collaboration, communication, and sustainability. With the passionate and dedicated team we have, a recycling program at Lee University is possible.
In what other ways have you seen yourself, the club’s leadership, participants, and your campus community change as a result of your group’s activities?
Through this club, I have seen myself and other officers and members become more empowered to live out a lifestyle which boldly cares for and protects creation. LeeCCC has kept me accountable to proactively change my habits and daily life to align with my values. Through consistently embodying our mission as a club on campus, we have gradually inspired others to consider their actions and change their behavior to love creation better. I have had a number of friends tell me I inspired them to start recycling because they learned through my example. It’s those little moments of success that embolden us to keep pushing for change.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
At the end of this semester, I and numerous other officers will be passing on our roles to another full team of capable hands. In the upcoming year, I am looking forward to seeing how the new team of officers will grow our club and impact campus to actively become better environmental stewards of God’s creation.
In addition, I look forward to seeing recycling bins throughout campus by the end of this year!
Click here to learn more about becoming a campus partner.
Photos curteousy of Torah Harding-Laman.
Thank you A Rocha for the continuous support!
Outstanding work the team of LeeCCC have been showing by laboring with great success in recycling & gardening. They clearly show their love & passion for the earth. I enjoy following them in Instagram. They are an exemplary Creation Care Club! Thank you for the inspiration!