Environmentalism on campus: Turning over a new LEAF

Photo Courtesy of @hofstraleaf

Like many student organizations on campus, Hofstra’s Leaders for Environmental Activism & Fellowship (LEAF) is adapting to functioning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We just wanted to be a space where people could educate each other on what’s going on with the environment, figuring out ways that we can make changes in our lives to make it more environmentally friendly,” said Annalisa Pena, a junior public relations major.

Pena is the president of LEAF, which formed in the spring of 2019. The club works to make changes in the lives of Hofstra students as well as in the surrounding Long Island communities. Prior to COVID-19, Pena explains, LEAF had already accomplished several successful in-person initiatives.

“One of the sustainability professors who works with the greenhouse came in and educated us about farming, and she brought in some food from her own farm,” Pena said.

The event was so popular among LEAF members because the mainstream agricultural industry produces over 25% of the world’s yearly greenhouse gas emissions. Home-based farming provides more opportunity to control the environmental costs of production, as well as waste management.

Pena believes that seeing examples of progressive change is the best way to inspire similar change among individuals. “One of the most impactful things in making people change their habits is seeing how easy it is, or seeing other people doing it,” she said.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic severely limited opportunities for in-person events. In order to reduce contact between students, the Hofstra Office for Student Leadership and Engagement mandated that all clubs become virtual for the fall semester.

Remote meetings limit the crucial exposure to everyday environmentalism that Pena found to be so successful for students.

“It’s so much easier to get people to go to experiences where they can touch and see and feel things,” Pena said. She expresses the common sentiment that Zoom meetings tend to be less engaging and exciting for participants. “It’s not as accessible for a lot of people, it’s not as interesting.”

Moreover, holding Hofstra accountable for a lack of environmental awareness is difficult when many LEAF members are not on campus for the semester. Pena explained that prior to the remote meetings, “[LEAF] was able to be more active in student life, so in the dining hall for example. There is absolutely no initiative from Hofstra to become more environmentally friendly.”

LEAF would meet for lunches throughout the week to teach members how to avoid single-use plastics in the Student Center.

Pena believes that LEAF’s physical presence on campus forced more conversations to be held about environmentalism at Hofstra. Now, Pena finds it has become easier for Hofstra to not be held accountable because they’re not seeing these things firsthand due to digital learning.

However, Pena and the rest of the LEAF executive board are taking the remote requirements in stride. For example, freshman engagement has skyrocketed since the meetings became virtual. Pena is happy that LEAF has been able to fill a gap in the social lives of new Hofstra students that are remote.

In addition, LEAF has moved to Instagram and Twitter as a new form of education. “Social media activism kind of took off after George Floyd was killed, unfortunately, but that’s when we started to see a new age of digital activism,” Pena said.

The LEAF Instagram account also features social media challenges to reduce meat intake among their followers. They also regularly open their direct messages to followers to ask questions or give advice about environmentalism. While they can’t go to protests anymore, LEAF continues to post about the intersection of environmentalism and politics. In response to the murder of George Floyd, LEAF reposted several visual calls to action, with the caption, “Fighting for climate justice is fighting for racial justice. Black lives matter.”

Pena understands that environmentalism can be an overwhelming concept to understand, especially in light of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement. She wants people to know, though, that their individual contributions are essential in changing the system.

“One of the best things that you can do is living your specific life more environmentally friendly and conscious ... that’s what’s going to make a change.”