Courtney Fumagalli joined GreenTerps in 2018 and now as a junior public health major, has become their lead intern. She first found out about GreenTerps at the University of Maryland’s First Look Fair, and was instantly interested in the program.
“When I saw that table at the First Look Fair, it seemed like a bigger way of getting involved in something I was already interested in. Being able to have a lead role on campus where I get to encourage other students to encourage other students to join … It sparked motivation for me to be like, ‘I can make a change on this campus,’” Fumagalli said.
GreenTerps is a program run through this university’s Office of Sustainability that encourages students and faculty to make a commitment toward a more sustainable lifestyle. In a typical school year, the program would be tabling outside of residence halls, dining halls, McKeldin Library or even the Stamp Student Union, providing activities geared toward teaching students and staff about practices they can adopt to help the environment.
As the lead student intern, Fumagalli facilitates discussions and monthly meetings where students learn about sustainable topics. She also leads a group of GreenTerp ambassadors, which are similar to interns, but ambassadors do not get paid.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clubs and organizations to think outside the box to keep their programs running, and GreenTerps is no exception. Before the coronavirus pandemic, tabling was GreenTerps’ primary method of spreading awareness and encouraging participation in the GreenTerp commitment. But now, interns have had to work to promote the GreenTerps mission of sustainability, while still staying safe.
“This year I am doing a project on food waste in College Park and UMD. It’s still in the works,” Fumagalli said. “Basically, we’re gonna be finding data and research to find out how much food waste UMD actually accumulates throughout the school year.”
The new project targets food waste, one of GreenTerps’ key themes. The food waste project Fumagalli and other ambassadors are working on hopes to target the food waste problem at this university, a growing issue, even throughout the pandemic.
Fumagalli has been working with GreenTerps since she started at this university, and her role within the program has grown since.