SOSA: Making a Difference, One Plastic Bag at a Time
Don’t know what SOSA is? SOSA is the Student Organization for Sustainability Action and is Florida Tech’s answer to sustainability awareness on campus and around the community. The organization’s first president was International Business major, Morgan Wilson, followed by Stephen Kies (Information Systems) and Daniel Oliva (Mechanical Engineering). With other officers and many members, diverse projects advance SOSA’s mission to work with students, administrators, and faculty to implement best practices in sustainability throughout Florida Tech.
The student members recognize that sustainability is an important issue and try to approach it with innovative thinking. SOSA is a diverse organization with officers in various majors which opens the door to a wide range of possibilities for campus-wide sustainability projects and beyond. The SOSA students have built a reputation by reaching out and collaborating with staff, faculty, and other student organizations. One example is the composting project in the Botanical Gardens where members collect leftover food from the SUB and use wormhouses to create valuable soil and liquid fertilizer that the landscaping staff use. They also have joined up with the Environmental Club for a Campus and Botanical Garden Clean Up.
SOSA has also sponsored a Plastic Bag Recycling Day among many other projects, and have educated Florida Tech students with information tables at multiple events. They have gone into the community many times, recently sponsoring a FIT Sustainability table at Merritt Island’s EcoLiving Jubilee. Based on experience from three prior years of Earth Week events, they are again planning joint ventures with other student clubs for Earth Day on April 22, to make it even bigger and better than last year. SOSA has also assisted students with their projects for the major and minor in Sustainability Studies.
It is when students are involved that the greatest benefit occurs; through their project experiences, students acquire valuable skills in research, problem-solving, and teamwork. The students gain the self-confidence to tackle new and more challenging projects, and they receive a hands-on education in joint ventures with other organizations and groups, allowing for a richer experience that they can take into the professional world when they graduate.
These dedicated SOSA students are becoming leaders in sustainability at Florida Tech and around the community, and their impact will be felt for generations to come. Fortunately, SOSA members are always looking for students who share their passion for making a difference or students who just want to learn more about sustainability. Getting involved in sustainability couldn’t be easier with SOSA. Check out their Facebook page, and remember: students who continue to create and become active in sustainable projects find their college experience is more interesting, engaging, and significant for their overall college experience. Now you know what SOSA is!
