BUMC Climate Action Group Formed

BUMC Climate Action Group student members (l to r)( Brad Zehr (BUSM '17), Paige Machado (BUSM '18) and Jason Park (BUSM '19). — BUMC Climate Action Group student members (l to r)( Brad Zehr (BUSM ’17), Paige Machado (BUSM ’18) and Jason Park (BUSM ’19).

A group of BUMC students have created BUMC Climate Action (BUMCCA) – a group aimed at improving climate change education and awareness on the Medical Campus.

“We want to unite students and faculty on the medical campus who are passionate about environmentalism and engaging with the issues of climate change and sustainability,” said Paige Machado, BUSM ’18, who helped spearhead the new group. “We started BUMCCA when we realized there weren’t currently any groups at BUMC dedicated to these types of issues.”

The group, which comprises students and faculty from BU School of Medicine, Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, BU School of Public Health and the BU Goldman School of Dental Medicine, meets regularly to discuss ideas and ways of promoting sustainable practices on the Medical Campus, as well as ongoing engagement around the concept of fossil fuel divestment.

Recently, Machado and two other members of the group met with BU President Robert Brown to deliver a petition signed by more than 180 Medical Campus students in supporting fossil fuel divestment at the University.

The group has held several educational lunch talks about climate change, gathered pledges from incoming students to not use disposable bottles and mugs, and has worked closely with Sustainability@BU to help educate the Medical Campus about a new, compost and recycling system at Chequer’s Café.

To learn more about BUMCCA, visit their Facebook page.