The Piedmont Environmental and Conservation Effort Club (PEACE Club) has become a dominant club on campus. With the installation of recycling bins on campus, ongoing trash collection and plans for a campus garden, the PEACE Club aims to make an impact on all students.

PEACE Club’s mission is to lead by example and live sustainably, protecting the environment through campus activities.

President Dana Davis hit the ground running in August. Davis was disappointed when she arrived at Piedmont her first year and found there was no on-campus recycling. So, Davis had two goals: to start campus recycling through the PEACE Club and to teach different ways to live sustainably.

Her faith motivates her to lead PEACE Club efforts and develop it into a flourishing club on campus.

“I feel like it is our calling to take care of the Earth we are blessed to walk on,” said Davis.

PEACE Club picked up where they left off last year with campus cleanups. Students and club members walk around campus, picking up trash wherever it is found, whether in the wetlands or on the sidewalks.

Davis and Vice President Jessica Eanes’ most enormous task this semester: incorporating recycling across campus. With bins located in education and dorm buildings across campus, students can now sort their paper and plastic for recycling.

Davis and Eanes take sustainability to another level.

“We wanted to reuse bins that we had lying around– with broken lids or old cardboard boxes, just to prevent buying new bins,” said Davis.

When they first began recycling, PEACE club advisor Dr. Dooley took recycled items to a facility in Athens. However, recycled goods on campus were piling up too quickly for weekly trips to Athens. So, Eanes now sorts the trash to a recycling facility in Clarkesville.

As recycling efforts on campus have flourished, opportunities to expand this sustainability effort are abundant. Plans to implement recycling in the Library are underway. However, with increased recycling comes the need for more assistance.

“We just need more people who want to help recycle,” said Davis.

Additionally, the PEACE Club is raising funds to start a campus garden. The garden’s prospective location is behind left field of Loudermilk Field. This garden includes fruits and vegetables that students can harvest themselves, promoting social connection, education and reduced carbon footprint on campus.

“Any of the food that students do not harvest themselves, we will put in the food pantry in the student success center,” said Davis.

Campus movements through PEACE Club, like recycling and the future garden, are just the footing for the club. The club aims to reach students in more impactful ways.

Through events like watching the sunrise, future camping trips or planting flowers outside the Swanson Center in Davis, Davis’ goal is to incorporate time spent with nature into the club’s mission.

Earlier this month, Davis planned a trip to Currahee Mountain to watch the sunrise, where many club members gathered to admire the north Georgia landscape and good fellowship.

“It gives you a sense of community on campus,” said Davis. “It is a way to sit, reflect and appreciate what we are trying to protect.”

PEACE Club’s growing efforts are prominent on campus. Their contributions to sustainability, community, and education are worth emulating by other active clubs. To the PEACE Club, it is more than just adding an activity to the resume; it is about building habits and a community that boosts campus culture.

If you are interested in joining, contact Dana Davis ([email protected]) or Dr. Dooley ([email protected]) for more information.