September 30, 2025
Getting involved with sustainability at JCCC empowers students to gain knowledge and effect change.
Like many students, Eli VanDeCreek feels invested in sustainability and the environment. With a keen interest in how we engage with the world around us, Eli recognized that JCCC provided an opportunity to be a part of a journey. While figuring out his major and future plans, Eli searched for a job on campus that would keep him physically active, and started work at JCCC’s Center for Sustainability.
“Honestly,” he jokes, “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into!”
Getting involved with sustainability at JCCC
Working with the Zero-Waste program, Eli was part of a dedicated team who helped sort and organize JCCC’s waste for recycling, composting, and selling.
So, what was it like sorting through trash? “Smelly! But that’s what showers are for, right?”
Odors aside, Eli found that working on the College’s zero-waste-to-landfill initiative was fascinating, as it made him think a lot about waste and how disconnected most of us are from how the waste we create goes into the world.
Inspired by the progress he could see around campus, Eli decided to join the Sustainability Distinction Program, an academic and experiential program available to students that explores local and global solutions to today’s problems. The program has allowed Eli to dive deep into his interest in sustainability while working on completing his Associate of Science in Liberal Arts, focusing on a future career in education.
Eli also joined the Student Sustainability Committee, a student-led committee that hears proposals from students, faculty, and staff and votes to fund different sustainability-related initiatives on campus with their own allocated budget.
As a member of the committee, Eli has gone on sustainability-focused trips and helped spearhead campus-wide projects like adding more solar panels and introducing glass recycling bins. He has led a sustainability knowledge student survey to help address the transparency of campus initiatives and increase awareness.
Equipped with sustainability experience, Eli’s goals work well with his path in education. Sharing knowledge, Eli explains, is "arming young people to become the leaders of tomorrow.” Children are curious about the world, and by teaching and practicing sustainability, Eli feels it’s an educator’s role to have the answers ready and help them prepare for the challenges and solutions of the world ahead.
And teaching sustainability to the leaders of the future? Just like the proverb, Eli’s take is that we must “plant the trees that we won’t see grow, but the next generations will.”
When it comes to sustainability, how can we tackle the untackle-able?
Sustainability can feel overwhelming when you think about it on a global scale. Eli believes that it’s normal to wonder, “Will my actions be enough? Will I meaningfully be able to impact anything?” but his approach has something to learn from. While acknowledging that the challenge can feel daunting, it has the power to spur us into action together.
“We have to look that apathetic pressure in the face,” says Eli, “and combat pessimism by putting your best foot forward.”
With mindful waste disposal, a little goes a long way. Eli learned that something as easy as taking the extra few seconds to put your trash in the right bin makes a huge difference when everyone does it. He’s not wrong – due to JCCC’s waste management programs and student workers and volunteers, the College has earned $358,542 in recycling revenue since 1994. That money goes directly to student scholarships. Between 2010 and 2024, JCCC has also saved $426,539 by reducing the amount of trash hauled and reducing the amount of landfill.
Meaningful change doesn’t always start with sweeping policies or massive budgets; it starts with people who are willing to get involved and rethink what’s possible. Eli’s advice is that our effort doesn’t have to be perfect and setbacks are normal. “You just have to go out on a limb,” he says. “Humanity has a way of knuckling down when it really matters. You have to believe and be brave enough to try.“
The Center for Sustainability provides the structure, resources, and support to turn those ideas into feasible solutions. As one of the first community colleges in the world to earn an AASHE STARS GOLD award for sustainability, JCCC is paving the way in sustainability innovations in higher education.
Help lead the way in sustainability at JCCC by exploring sustainability programs, applying for the SSC committee, or checking out the sustainability initiatives we have on campus, and help make an impact that you can see.
Interested in studying sustainability?