Student Movements Take Steps Toward Sustainability

By KATELYN FRATTAROLI

From recycled shoe drives to on-campus thrifting, Seton Hill University strives to become more sustainable. Within the last year, several Seton Hill students have used their voices and creativity to bring environmentally conscious outlets onto campus.

On Oct. 22, senior history and secondary education major, Tim Katic, hosted a pop-up shop of his thrifting business, Iron City Vintage. While this pop-up helped market his small business, Katic chose to focus his attention on educating people on the harms of fast fashion for his honors capstone project. 

“I have heard of issues with fast fashion for years now, and I have read so much information on how harmful it can be globally,” said Katic. “Through my business, I hope to bring people an alternative, more sustainable option for fashion.”

“He is an education major, so that was part of his goal, to educate us, but also to help us just ask or go one step deeper to understand sustainability,” said English professor and member of Seton Hill’s Sustainability Task Force, Christine Cusick. “If you’re not invited to think about that, you might not make that connection, so he was able to raise awareness about fast fashion and its impact on climate change, which is significant within itself, but then also show us an alternative.”

“I have always felt that college can sometimes feel isolating, and there are times when individuals may feel unseen. I feel as though my business offers students an outlet for individuality through unique pieces,” said Katic.

While faculty and staff work to encourage students to make sustainable shifts, the real action starts with students, like Katic, motivating their peers.“With sustainability in mind, students, to me, tend to support businesses that reflect their values around the environment,” said Katic. “I have come to realize that a lot of our campus really appreciates secondhand items and sustainable fashion for various reasons.  

Senior communications major, Amara Forsyth, similarly utilizes her power as a student to make a sustainable impact on not only the campus, but the community as a whole. “I started the SHU recycling initiative to reduce waste, repurpose shoes, and create impact,” said Forsyth. “My goal, with the help from my incredible academic advisor, Dr. Jen Jones, is to create a sustainable solution where shoes are collected, sorted, and given a second life.”

“In the Spring of 2025 I presented to the President’s Task Force for Sustainability a shoe recycling initiative I was piloting in partnership with Athletics and Sustainability,” said Forsyth. “As part of this initiative, I organized a Women’s Lacrosse ‘Green Game’ for April 12, 2025. The event encouraged fans to wear green, donate shoes at the donation table, and learn more about the initiative and sustainability efforts.”

Beyond individual efforts, Seton Hill’s sustainability task force has been working to create and execute other sustainability initiatives. “Right now, the task force is working with the 7-year sustainability plan for campus, and it is connected with a global platform and movement called the ‘Laudato Si’ Movement,” said Cusick. “And, so we [the university] created a 7-year plan that is trying to integrate sustainability in all aspects on campus.

“For student engagement, I would say that we are starting with curriculum,” said Cusick. “Through curriculum, students can see the ways it’s connected to many disciplines; rather than just science or social science—thinking about that interdisciplinary perspective.”

Another member of the task force and marketing and communications professor, Jen Jones, said, “Once they [students] learn about the foundational aspects of sustainability, the book side of it, then they feel compelled to do something.”

“At Seton Hill, we celebrate community,” said Jones. “For us to care about sustainability, then, it takes everyone’s contributions to that, and it’s all those individual efforts that collectively contribute to the school.”