Sustain Mizzou celebrates its 10th birthday on MU’s campus this month.
The nonpartisan, student volunteer-run organization was started in 2004 after several students branched off from a previously existing organization, which had membership dues and a focus on political affiliation. They wanted to be part of a nonpartisan, free organization so they started their own, and Sustain Mizzou was born.
President Nick Drysdale said there are no dues or requirements to join the organization, and the amount of participation is completely up to the individual. He said the organization draws people from all majors and backgrounds.
“That’s what Sustain Mizzou draws upon,” he said.
To Drysdale, sustainability means being environmentally and locally mindful so humanity can persist through the years to come. He said he tries to raise awareness of human effect on the environment by making people realize their actions have short- and long-term effects.
“The world and the community — economy, ecology — we all affect it in one way or another,” Drysdale said. “We need to be humble to the environment. We need to spread that awareness and do our part.”
Vice President of Projects Jackson Hambrick joined the organization two years ago. He overlooks the projects the organization takes on, acting as a liaison for the project committee’s executive board.
Hambrick said he has gotten more from Sustain Mizzou than just interaction with the environment and the community. He said it has also been an opportunity to work with administrators and different parts of campus.
“I’ve discovered how large entities work,” Hambrick said. “You have to talk to a lot of people to get things moving and done on campus.”
Drysdale said that once a year, Sustain Mizzou teams up with the Mid-Missouri River Relief to clean up the Missouri River. He said they cleaned out the banks of the Missouri River and found everything from a 1950s refrigerator to the grill of a Nissan Armada.
Besides this yearly trip, the organization participates in other river cleanups throughout the year, including one at the Hinkson Creek.
“(We) just want people to be mindful,” Drysdale said. “Everyone can do something, and that’s the main point.”