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If you're like us, you cannot believe that March is finally here. This semester is flying by, and we know that's because we're busy getting ready to celebrate our 20th birthday. That's right, the CEC was officially founded in 2003, so 2023 is our 20th anniversary!
Started by students, our original mission was simple: to improve on-campus recycling. Over the years, we have evolved—broadening our focus to improving sustainability on campus, incorporating project teams, and becoming a part of the Office of Sustainability. Reflecting on our history gives us the opportunity to honor those whose work paved the way and to look towards the future.
Every day, we ask ourselves how we can make more of an impact. Because we want to be accessible to all students, we do not require dues. As a result, we are reliant on university grants and fundraising to drive our work. More than that, we are in a new phase of growing our organization. Right now, we're developing a new project team and expanding the purview of our existing teams—Green Events' composting services are available to even more student organizations, the Environmental Justice Collective increasingly works to diversify UT's sustainability courses, Trash2Treasure needs a larger space to increase their capacities, and Microfarm hopes to eventually start their own greenhouse.
To do this, we need your support: during this year's 40 Hours for the 40 Acres Fundraiser (April 12-13), we are hoping to raise $30,000, and your donations are what will get us there! As a student organization, we need funding for everything we do. We all work at the CEC because we love what we do and want to push sustainability forward on campus. But our work would be impossible and meaningless without you. So whether you donate or not, we want to say thank you—you are how and why we get to do what we do.
With an eye to the future,
Parker, Claire, Sam, and Sophia
Your CEC Admin Team
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