Becky Culp, a Sophomore, has been working as an EcoRep since the start of the school year. As an environmental major, this job is perfect for Becky, as she’s passionate about environmental issues and supporting sustainable behavior on campus, which is exactly what an EcoRep does. As an EcoRep, Becky works in a team to develop and implement programs and peer-to-peer outreach to promote recycling, energy conservation, and sustainable transportation.

This is Becky’s second job on Bates College through the SEO. Last year, she worked in the audio center of the library. At the end of her Freshman year, Becky noticed flyers and emails publicizing open spots as an EcoRep. She then interviewed for the job and wrote a one page essay on sustainability and (as I’m sure is evident by this article) got the job. “The SEO is a great resource for students to find job opportunities on campus. it was definitely easy to find a job.”

Tasks for this job vary depending on what project Becky is working on, and she says a lot of the job involves “planning, working with other eco reps, and working on several projects to bring awareness to sustainability at Bates.”

Becky loves the amount of freedom she have with her job. In the beginning of the semester, the EcoRep supervisor, Julie Rosenbach, assigned pairs of people themes that they’d focus on throughout the semester. Then, she leaves it up to the eco reps to figure out a way to best bring awareness to the environmental themes on campus.

“There’s so much room for creative thinking,” Becky says, “which is great.” When it comes to work experience, being an EcoRep has helped Becky cultivate a good amount of work skills, knowledge, and experience. “So far, I have learned to plan a successful meeting and effectively inform people about sustainability.” Becky has gained important skills that will help her after she graduates because she “definitely want to continue an environmental career.”

School has been in session for only a month and Becky has already gotten into the groove of her job, learning skill sets necessary to succeed in the future. Working as an EcoRep has educated Becky on all of the different aspects of working to help the environment, and she’s excited to see how the rest of the year goes.