Student Organization of Sustainability Action (SOSA)
by Melissa Lockwood, Marine Biology with Sustainability minor ’12
Currently, there’s a pair of hawks nesting outside the Olin Biology building, making a nice addition to the Florida Tech campus. Another new addition to Florida Tech is the Student Organization of Sustainability Action (aka SOSA). SOSA is a group dedicated to emphasizing the importance of sustainability through student projects and volunteer opportunities. The idea is to bring together students (grads and undergrads) from all the different colleges to give their unique perspective on various sustainable matters that are pertinent to the school. This is one of the few campus organizations that not only brings together the different majors, but also offers opportunities for members to learn how to interpret their goals into a language that is understood across the spectrum. This is an important life skill that a lot of people entering the big-kid-after-college world are lacking.
SOSA is more than just another organization trying to save the world (though that is not a completely inaccurate statement). It is designed around the idea of providing important life lessons and contacts that will take you places. And, there’s the whole improving campus aspect. Currently, SOSA is helping with several ISC 4000 projects—from removing invasive species from the botanical garden to certifying LEED buildings. If that’s not enough to make you want to join, consider the volunteer opportunities (that likely qualify for classes/fraternities/sororities requiring volunteer hours). So whether you are an incoming student or an upper classman, consider joining SOSA. It’s groups like SOSA that inspire sustainable action. It’s these actions that help create environments that can support future generations of hawks, like the ones currently nesting outside Olin, for many years to come.
This concludes your friendly service announcement sponsored by the “bio-building hawks”.
Check out a video of our hawk friends here:
