Everyday actions can have a big impact on the environment, Austin said.  But by learning about other possibilities and how to turn trash into new useful items, students can help, he said.

Students for Renewable Energy organized "Consumption Week", a week of events from Feb. 22 to 27 to focus on the impact consumption has on the environment. This was the first time the clubs have joined, dedicated to discussing environmental issues that stem from consumption.

Consumption Week was created to raise awareness about daily consumption by discussing how simple things can impact the environment negatively, Austin said.

“We want people to realize that everyday decisions can potentially impact the environment negatively,” Austin said. “We’re not trying to make people feel bad, just make them realize what their actions could do.”

All clubs were welcome to join and put on an event or program to discuss an issue of their choice regarding consumption or an environmental issue. Different clubs were encouraged to participate to show that everyone has some impact on the environment due to consumption.

The Acts of Kindness Club put on an event about reusing items. The event was called “Wasted Treasure: A Free Exchange Bazaar,” where students were encouraged to bring in items they do not use and exchange them for anything else there, such as clothing, jewelry and other items students chose to donate.

Students could also donate unwanted items, and leftover items were donated to Amy’s Place, a place in Bellingham where homeless and runaway youth go to, said Western sophomore Cara Skillingstead, a member of the club.

“This is a great opportunity to give someone else stuff you do not use,” Skillingstead said. “Let’s face it, we all have junk we do not use and need to get rid of.”

This article was edited Feb. 28.

Skillingstead said she wanted people to realize it is important to not just throw away old items that are not being used because they could be useful to someone else. It is better to donate items than to throw them away where they will just sit in a landfill, she said.

Industrial design professor, Arunas Oslapas, held another event that had a similar theme of not being wasteful. Oslapas teaches classes at Western that promote the idea that everyday trash can be turned into something useful. Students have turned bullet casings into flower vases and an empty deodorant container into a chalk holder, he said.

For Consumption Week, Oslapas showed a slideshow of projects his students have done to raise awareness that most trash items can be made into useful items. Oslapas said he thinks trash is the next raw material; you just have to look in the right places.