With sustainable practices at the heart of many CMU students’ values, it’s no wonder there is a student group on campus dedicated to peace and sustainability.

The peace and sustainability committee, in collaboration with the arts and entertainment committee, holds a week-long festival every year with education and events to engage students in sustainability. This year’s festival included a thrift store trip, a fashion show, a winter cycling workshop, a market, and last but certainly not least, a dumpster diving excursion.

To kick off the festivities, they organized a trip to the thrift store via public transit, giving students the chance to save clothes and other items from going to the landfill while also providing an opportunity to find clothing for the following day’s sustainable fashion show.

The fashion show had an audience of students and featured a catwalk, where other students were able to show off their handcrafted or thrifted outfits. From high fashion to Batman cosplay, this event demonstrated that fast fashion and having the newest and trendiest clothing is not necessary to be fashionable.

Next on the agenda was a winter cycling workshop hosted by Valerie Smith, Associate Registrar for Graduate Studies. She has been practicing the skill of riding her bike throughout the winter for 15 years. CMU has a distinct winter biking community comprised of both staff and students, and for good reason. Being located on a central and well-maintained bike route helps winter cyclers get to and from CMU. As explained in the workshop, Valerie believes that having a strong community rallying behind you is an important part of winter biking, perhaps equally as important as layering up and making sure that you’re properly maintaining your bike. “What I took away from the winter cycling event is confidence. It feels like it’s something that’s approachable now. Before, it was just a series of unknowns, but now that I’ve gotten this guidance, I know what steps I need to take,” said Logan Nord, a fourth-year CMU student.

At the end of the week, the heavily-anticipated sustainable market took place. A major draw for the market were Hillary Jorgenson (@h.j.thrifts) and Annika Scheelar’s (@windsorparkthrifts) thrift store finds, both having cultivated a collection of woodsy and aesthetic clothing pieces to choose from for affordable prices. Many students at CMU are aware of them due to their respective Instagram pages where they sell their thrift finds, which drew a large crowd to the market. Other tables included a mug and plant sale, a pin-making machine, and free reusable menstrual products.

To close out sustainability week, students gathered after nightfall to organize themselves into groups and go check out the city’s unlocked dumpsters. One group, hoping to find makeup or art supplies, found that dumpster after dumpster was locked, until they finally hit the dumpster diving jackpot at a furniture store where countless decorations and small pieces of furniture had been discarded. Seasoned dumpster divers often look for groceries, decor, and whatever they might find useful—rescuing food that is still fine to eat but is heading to the landfill. This can also be alluring to young adults who are just beginning to live independently.

CMU’s sustainability week successfully united students in promoting eco-friendly practices through events like thrifting, winter cycling, and dumpster diving. These activities highlighted practical ways to reduce waste and foster community engagement. The week emphasized that sustainability at CMU is not just a trend, but a lifestyle, inspiring students to make a positive environmental impact.

Emma Williamson is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in English.