Anna DeMino ’26: Fostering growth in the community for a sustainable future

Making the campus a greener place one student at a time. That truly is the mission of the Eco Rep Program. My name is Anna DeMino ’26 and this summer, I have been lucky enough to tackle this challenge head-on. By putting together an amazing team of dedicated students throughout the summer application process, we will be able to take the first steps to train these leaders.

Not all students will be interested in changing habits in order to aid campus sustainability and that is a tough pill to swallow. However, our Eco Reps have persevered in sharing their passion for sustainability and deserve great recognition. This summer, I am working on how to improve this program so that Eco Reps can be better acknowledged for their efforts across campus.

As a Sustainability Science and Communication Studies double major, I have explored how to incorporate these two broad interests to create something I enjoy and find passion in.

One important way to engage with the Furman community and beyond was through a focus on social media and making our page engaging, interesting and most importantly fun! Using my graphic design skills, I’ve been working to revamp the Eco Rep Instagram. The first idea was to ensure students during the summer recruitment period can understand the Eco Reps program. Creating a distinct look carried out across the informative Eco Rep posts on our page has helped segment these important posts to live on the page. The next fun aspect I wished to add was part of my obscure interest fun fact I shared with the Instagram, Digital Scrapbooking! I wished to compile pictures of all that our Reps are doing during their summer breaks to make a change.

Transparency on social media is one crucial aspect that I am exploring through my time as an Eco Rep fellow. It is important to be transparent especially when it comes to sustainability initiatives because if one is not working, we shouldn’t be ashamed. We should regroup and re-plan! This couples with the skill of adaptability. In planning processes throughout the summer, it is also very important for me to be mindful of potential change. Especially in studying sustainability, there is constant change throughout the Climate Crisis, meaning adaptability is a good skill to carry into the future. It is pertinent that I craft criteria for the school year’s meetings that are both well-rounded but also broad so that they can be adapted due to any possible news that strikes the sustainability sector.

These skills and creative ideas have made being the Eco Rep Fellow so worthwhile. I have grown as a person and in my leadership exponentially and having support by my side like my supervisor Joy Baker, has made the experience so enjoyable. Being part of a community like this is what I think will move us to a better future of sustainability. Many of our Reps just feel excited that they can be part of a group of people with shared interests!

I encourage everyone (even if you are not joining Eco Reps) to join a passionate group of people who care and can push you to grow. When we are surrounded with this support, it makes planning and ideas for sustainable initiatives easier as we feel part of a whole. So go find people in your sustainability class and grab lunch with them and start that support system!