Students promote a greener campus with the Office of Sustainability

Students with a passion for the environment and sustainability are making an impact on campus.

Now in its 10th year, the Office of Sustainability Student Internship program continues to flourish, fostering sustainability and student involvement on the Blacksburg campus.

About 20 undergraduate students are hired each academic year. Following the application and interview process, accepted students are placed on one of four sustainability teams: energy, food, waste, and water. For one year, interns focus on a primary project that typically involves a partnership with a faculty or staff member with expertise in the field. These student led projects have a tangible impact on campus infrastructure and are educating students on a peer-to-peer basis.

“The Office of Sustainability pairs project partners with each student intern team to work in a way that is mutually beneficial for both parties,” said Emily Vollmer, sustainability coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.

Vollmer, a recent Virginia Tech alumnus with a degree in environmental resource management, interned at the Office of Sustainability for three years, working as the energy team leader. During her time as an intern, Vollmer worked hard to make impactful connections within the Office of Sustainability, which in turn helped her obtain her current job as the sustainability coordinator.

“During my time in the internship program I was able to work closely with several members of the Office of Sustainability who served as mentors to me. Denny Cochrane, the former director of sustainability, taught me valuable leadership skills that have served me as I now manage the internship program,” said Vollmer.

Vollmer continues to promote sustainability efforts at Virginia Tech, using her previous experience as a student intern to “shape the program into something even more meaningful.”

A crucial part of the work sustainability student interns participate in is outreach and engagement. Interns help assist in outreach events, including the annual Earth Week, developed in partnership with many student organizations. Each intern team is responsible for helping host a minimum of one event, allowing interns to expand their skills through planning, marketing, and networking.

The Sustainable Fashion Show, the Office of Sustainability’s most attended event in 2023 and 2024, began as a student intern event. This fashion show takes place during Earth Week and educates campus community members about sustainable alternatives to the fast fashion industry.

In 2023, the Big Clean, an on-and off-campus litter cleanup event, was first introduced. The Big Clean is based on the idea of The Big Event — individuals can sign up to help volunteer and clean specific areas of Blacksburg.

Leilani Hyatt, a senior majoring in environmental science with a minor in geosciences and wetland sciences, has enjoyed her experience interning for the Office of Sustainability. Hyatt, the current communications representative for the water team, applied for this position with the hope of becoming more involved on campus. Hyatt’s internship has “helped her branch out, allowing her to connect with new people from different colleges and amazing Virginia Tech faculty who are working diligently to improve sustainability on campus.”

Hyatt’s favorite project involved the Stroubles Creek Streamkeeper program, which she worked on last year. The sustainability interns partnered with the Division of Facilities' Site and Infrastructure Development team, StREAM Lab researchers, and Office of Sustainability team members to create the program to promote environmental stewardship and monitor water quality.

To learn about the Office of Sustainability and the student internship program, visit Sustainability at Virginia Tech.

Written by Anja Hemesath, a senior and a student writer for Virginia Tech Communications and Marketing