The organization was one of several student groups that participated in Oct. 22 Campus Sustainability Day, a campus-wide event that showcased the university’s efforts to create a greener presence. SRB’s display in the “Eco Village” created at the bell tower was organized around the theme of “Recycle, Reuse and Buy Local” and featured t-shirt and poster competitions and a display of environmentally-friendly household products.

One of the group’s exhibits literally blew things out of proportion. Local illustrator Greg Labood created a t-shirt and poster design to encourage students to “Deny the Bag” and eliminate the use of recycled shopping bags. A life-size “bag monster” roamed campus, creatively emphasizing the enormity of the issue. The concept was co-created by student groups Toastmasters and Students for Environmental Action.

Community partners included Joe Coffee Bar, a fair trade coffee house in Center City, which provided free coffee and offered reusable coffee mugs for sale, and the Big Green Earth Store, which set up a display of household products. Students browsed environmentally themed books, including Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America, The Ecology of Commerce and eat.shop Philadelphia: The Indispensible Guide to Stylishly Unique, Locally Owned Eating and Shopping.

Campus Sustainability Day featured a wide range of events, including a farmer’s market at Liacouras Walk, service projects at Ambler, speaker presentations at Tyler and the national webcast discussion organized by the Society for College and University Planning titled, “Climate Realities, Challenges & Progress in Higher Education.” Several faculty incorporated sustainability topics into their lesson plans.

SRB is sponsoring additional events throughout the year to promote sustainable business themes. In conjunction with Students for Environmental Action and the Students Peace Alliance, the group will host the Urban Farming Initiative to encourage local farming. For the holidays, SRB also plans to promote donations to Kiva, a web-based micro-lending organization that directs funds to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

SRB is also serving on the planning committee for the spring Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) conference focusing on the importance of patronizing local farmers and independent storeowners. The group is in the process of a creating a “Blueprint to the Students for Responsible Business” organization for the owner of Mygreencampus.com, a Web site targeted to American and Chinese universities.

SRB meets Wednesdays at 3:30 pm in the Student Activities Center. For more information, visit the group’s web site at http://www.temple.edu/students/srb/.