What We Do

In pursuing our three overarching goals, Trine University SPEAK partners with external organizations, such as the City of Angola and the Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as other organizations and schools on campus.

We advocate for changes on Trine’s campus such as the addition of rain gardens to key areas of flooding after precipitation and swapping plastic straws at Trine’s two coffeeshops for metal straws that are supplied in the Bookstore.

We also plan and execute projects such as painting storm drains in the town of Angola, building a Free Little Library on campus to promote media recycling, and applying to be recognized as both a Tree Campus and a Bee Campus.

Finally, we host events for students at Trine University that focus on promoting sustainability, educating about the environment, and creating intentional communities where students feel safe to be their most genuine selves. We host plant pot painting workshops, DIY tie-dye days, and movie screenings–as well as kayak river clean-ups and highway clean-ups.

Our largest annual event is entitled Earth Fest and occurs on the closest Friday and Saturday to Earth Day, April 22nd. At this event, we host a local vendor fair to promote shopping close to home from small businesses. We also host representatives from other campus organizations and advocacy groups who want to get involved in our environmental mission. Each day of Earth Fest possesses a headlining keynote speaker from diverse facets of environmental science and students can have fun with sustainable craft workshops, karaoke, and delicious meals from food trucks!