“Learning today, leading tomorrow.”

NIU’s motto is fitting, but students should also focus on leading today. In the environmental movement, we can’t wait until tomorrow; we need leaders to inspire action today.

The evidence for climate change is clear enough that long-time doubters are changing their minds about it. Even a hero of the climate change skeptic community, physicist Richard Muller, recanted his climate change skepticism in a recent New York Times op-ed piece.

In the face of this building evidence, why then is there a continued resistance to changing our personal habits as they relate to impacting the Earth? This is a complex question, but one potential answer is the lack of leadership from people we consider to be our peers. Leaders are important because they encourage others to follow their example. Good leaders inspire others to become leaders.

Someone recently told me I’m a leader in our local environmental community because I volunteer for local organizations, and I work for a department on campus that is specifically geared at encouraging environmental awareness. I am proud to work for the environment in the university community. However, an ideal leader for the NIU student community would be someone who was a part of that community. An ideal leader would be more in touch with the challenges facing NIU students, and would be able to contribute to the campus dialogue. An ideal leader would find those other students who want to get involved and convince them to make the time while at NIU.

NIU students are already making a difference at the university. Recently, I met two students who are examples of good leaders. Matt is especially passionate about edible gardens and composting and is already making a noticeable difference in the NIU and DeKalb communities. Sarah is one of those students who knows what all the environmental groups are doing on campus, which is essential for good leadership. Students like these can significantly impact campus culture.

With more than 300 student organizations, there are more opportunities than ever to get involved in a leadership role at NIU. These organizations include two new environmentally-minded student organizations (Green Paws Environmental Alliance and the NIU Student Subunit of the Illinois Lakes Management Association).

I think it is student leaders who will best be able to get others motivated-motivated to make changes, take a stance, inspire action and demand sustainable practices to take the lead for a generation with so much potential to make the world a better place.

More sustainability efforts will be made on campus only if students demand the changes and are willing to follow suit in their personal lives. I challenge you to lead.

The content of this column is the opinion of the author and does not reflect the opinions of the ESE Institute/Environmental Studies.