Written by Aditi Nair Nambiar
At a time when the topic of environmental sustainability is gaining urgency around the world, the Alliance4Sustainability student club at the University of Washington- Bothell is addressing its many complexities by turning to civic engagement and sustainable activism to spark collective action.
Founded in spring of 2023, Alliance4Sustainability began from a shared vision between founding president, Faith Lambert, and club secretary, Daisy Sotelo Fernandez, with a mission to promote student-driven advocacy on environmental issues through education and informative programming. In coordination with the Office of Sustainability at UW Bothell, the club addresses various issues in sustainability through a unique focus on cultural inclusion and social justice. Club president and rising fourth-year student, Francisco “Cisco” Jimenez, states, “We’re trying to work to not just create a sustainable campus, but a campus that is sustainable and equitable.”
A graduating senior majoring in Environmental Studies, Sotelo Fernandez explains how the club came to be. “I knew I cared about social issues, but I wasn't really sure how that would apply more generally. Just finding people that are passionate about the same things that I'm passionate about I know is really important because these issues seem like such big things… It’s difficult to do on your own to make an impact.”
One of the many unique ways Alliance4Sustainability educates the campus community is by holding frequent campus walks, which is how Jimenez, double-majoring in environmental studies and culture, literature, and the arts, first got involved with the club. With a primary focus on the university campus’ location amidst the North Creek wetlands in the city of Bothell, Washington, the campus walks have been an opportunity for students to learn more about the different preserved areas of the campus land and the natural life within it. Through themed campus walks such as pollinator tours, edible spaces strolls, and green building highlights, students explore the local biodiversity and sustainable systems embedded across UW Bothell’s campus.
Another issue the club is working to address is material sustainability. In response to the growing use of plastic giveaways at campus events, Alliance4Sustainability introduced more eco-friendly alternatives. Club sustainability researcher and graduating senior Franchesca Nicole Lazaro explains, “Most clubs and organizations will give out prizes or brochures and pamphlets- like these really little takeaways. And a lot of them are kind of made out of plastic or really cheap materials. I’m not saying that people aren’t going to use them, but you know, these little trinkets [often] end up in the garbage or sitting [on] someone’s desk and then eventually thrown out.” The club hosted a Plant Exchange at the university’s renowned Earth Month Fair in April, inviting campus members to come together and exchange a variety of plant seeds and decorate clay pots to house new plants. This was an alternate method that allowed students to walk away with something that lasts much longer, which they can care for and nurture during their own time.
The club builds community engagement and interest through their social media posts to help bring awareness to various sustainability issues, initiatives, and events so that students, staff, and faculty can stay up to date. They have also promoted eco-friendly fashion through various clothing drives and donations, including thrift swaps, so students could trade clothing items in a sustainable way. Club president Jimenez added, “Part of our mission as the Alliance for Sustainability is not just to enhance sustainability in practice, but also to ensure things like social justice… When it comes to fast fashion, it’s not just about the fast fashion. Thrifting also helps provide clothes for people who might not be able to afford to buy clothes. And that falls directly into accessibility in the broader social justice aspect.”
Since last winter, Alliance4Sustainability has been advocating for a Campus Sustainability Fund in order to have further funding and resources to support more sustainability projects, campus enhancements, and educational workshops to drive community action forward. To aid the funding approval process, the club is creating a petition to gather student, staff, and faculty support, while also designing a survey to gain insights on the kind of sustainability projects students would like to see. Through their efforts, the club was able to even successfully implement a new sustainability minor under the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell.
Even with their determination, Alliance4Sustainability shares that there are still challenges along the way when it comes to advocating for environmental sustainability. Jimenez stated, “One of the biggest challenges that I see for our club is actually student engagement and awareness. It’s really hard to get people interested, especially because they don't realize that sustainability impacts them too.” He emphasizes how the club serves to remind student peers that they all have a part in contributing to environmental sustainability, whether they realize it or not.
“I've met people who are computer science majors who don't think that this applies to them, despite the fact that a lot of the technologies that go into computing are currently being mined and not recycled, and it’s very unsustainable. The power usage from that is also unsustainable, and… trying to find ways to move towards a more sustainable computing is a huge part of what they are doing too. Everything is interconnected, and there's so much intersection between different majors; no matter how distant it may seem, it’s all connected,” Jimenez continues.
One way the club is working to build momentum in their environmental justice work is through collaborating with other key campus clubs and local organizations. Jimenez shares that he still connects with his previous Environmental Action Club from Everett Community College, as well as working closely with student leaders from Cascadia College, which shares campus grounds with UW Bothell. “I've also been able to work with people from Washington State University and their programs regarding sustainability. So my future goal is to have a connection with all these different organizations and schools so that we can all work together to have that collective action, that collective policy change, and that collective push for sustainability.” He adds, “While sustainability on campus is important, I believe that sustainability nationwide, worldwide, should be the goal.”
Alliance4Sustainability promoted the UW Bothell Office of Sustainability’s collaboration with Get Green, an organization committed to mobilizing collective action for sustainability through their mobile app. “Get Green or Go Home!” was a campus-wide virtual sustainability competition in the fall in light of Campus Sustainability Month. The app promotes individual levels of sustainability, using “leaps” as credits to encourage users to implement and optimize their sustainability in their everyday lives.
This year, Alliance4Sustainability invited leading experts in technological sustainability from Get Green and Google as guest speakers at their “Talks and Trivia” event on April 22. This event was part of a larger, campus-wide collaboration for UW Bothell’s annual hackathon, “UWB Hacks: Save the World 2025”, where Alliance4Sustainability is one of numerous campus clubs that contribute to programming catered to more inclusivity, creativity, and sustainability in digital innovation.
For club marketing officer and rising third-year student, Tanvi Bedekar, environmental stewardship through civic engagement is about ensuring a better future for everyone, especially the natural world, through collective change. “I want to work towards a future where there are policies that can help guarantee sustainability in the world, because I think it's a really important thing. Once you start losing the battle against climate change… there's not really a way to reverse it,” she expresses.
What matters most to the club officers is not measuring impact by the numbers, but based on the quality of conversations and connections built within the community. Club secretary, Sotelo Fernandez, adds, “A lot of the time, people feel discouraged to do things that feel intimidating because I know it can be such a difficult issue to approach, and it would seem like a lot to take on as an individual. Don't be afraid to reach out to people to try to find community.”
As for the advice they would give to students who are looking to get involved in environmental justice, Jimenez shares some words of wisdom. “I think one of the biggest pieces of advice that I can give is, do it. Do it regardless of what anybody tells you, regardless of anybody who tells you that you can’t… And I promise you that you will find people who are also passionate about this.” He adds, “It's hard to get into at first, especially when you have that lack of support. But when you find the people, those like-minded people with the same passion, you will be able to do great things.”