The Jane Goodall Institute has come to N.C. State in a new student club that seeks to better the environment.
Students will now have the opportunity to get involved with global environment and conservation issues with the recent establishment of a ‘Roots and Shoots’ club chapter.
With various educational and social backgrounds, graduate Haley Thornton, seniors Tara Easter, Carley Miller and Rachel Barnum, and junior Sara Reichelt recognized the need for student activism on N.C. State’s campus. Together, they co-founded a chapter of Roots and Shoots, a Jane Goodall Institute youth program.
Co-founder Carley Miller, a senior in interdisciplinary studies, said after conservationist Jane Goodall transferred her headquarters to Duke University, a few of the girls saw her speak and were inspired to start a Roots and Shoots program at N.C. State. She said club chapters had already been established at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke.
“We wanted to start a club that was accessible to all majors and [one that would] focus on serving the passion of loving animals and wanting to conserve our planet,” Miller said.
The club, with an increasing number of new members, is designed to raise awareness about local and global conservation issues, as well as animal protection. Unlike groups like PETA, the Roots and Shoots club strays from extremist ideologies, according to co-founder Carley Miller.
“Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls,” Jane Goodall said on the organization’s website.
The club seeks to educate students and the public about top animal and conservation issues. In addition to bi-monthly meetings on Thursday evenings, the club will host guest-speaker presentations and take part in various environmental events around Raleigh.
“Our meetings are focused on global conservation issues that are happening now,” Miller said.
Planned club events outside the meetings include everything from tiger rescue and lake cleanup to Earth Day involvement and a trip to the coast to help with turtles. Additionally, the group plans to participate in many volunteer projects within the community.
“We’re getting involved in community projects because we want to educate people on global issues and then act locally within our means,” Miller said.
Miller said the club will also be showing documentaries at the campus cinema including ‘The Thin Green Line,’ and ‘Milking the Rhino.’ All showings are free for students with the option to add a donation.
Although the club is based on activism, Miller said it’s balanced with an educational outreach approach. She said it’s important for people to be aware of local and global conservation issues so that they can be a part of a big change.
Miller said Roots and Shoots is in the beginning stages of working out a program with Exploris Middle School, a local charter school. Because the school’s curriculum is current-issue based, Miller said she thinks the program could be a good tool for educating students about animal and planet conservation.
Roots and Shoots member Kaitlynn Lamm, a freshman in zoology, said she joined the club to experience more than just classes and homework. With goals similar to her own, she said the club is a perfect fit for her.
“I want to make a difference in the world,” Lamm said.
Lamm said she’s looking forward to the volunteer projects this semester. She said working with turtles at the beach and assisting a food service group in Raleigh are examples of how the club can truly have an impact on local communities.
“I love it when a club is more than just the weekly meeting. We’re actually getting out there and actively changing lives instead of just talking about it,” Lamm said.
In conservationist and humanitarian form, Lamm said the Roots and Shoots club is an essential part of the N.C. State community because it prepares for local and global action.
“I’ve always thought we should leave this world a better place than we found it and [the club] is doing just that,” Lamm said.
