Texas A&M Aggie Eco-Reps take part in a campus cleanup. Courtesy of Aggie Eco-Reps.
In 2010, a group of environmentally-conscious Texas A&M students took the initiative to make our world a better place, launching A&M’s Aggie Eco-Reps
This year, the eco-outreach group hosted its 15th anniversary celebration on April 18 at Aggie Park with games, carnival food, a Succulent Sale, merch and memories shared with more than 100 attendees, according to club president Ananya Nambiar.
The program is entirely student-run and sponsored by A&M's Department of Residence Life. Its mission is to provide students with educational opportunities to promote and continue sustainability.
Aggie Ego-Reps is valued for its sustainable-oriented ambitions, i.e., it doesn’t let grass grow under its feet. For example, twice a month, campus clean-ups take place and other educational efforts include Green Fund grant writing as well as presentations in residence halls, classrooms, and other clubs and organizations. Additionally, teams educate through Instagram videos and YouTube.
In January, the group hosts the New Year’s Sustainability Summit to educate about sustainable resources on campus.
President Nambiar tells Green Source Texas that recently they held some of their big campuswide social service events during March and April.
These include Replant Day and the Earth Day 5K.
SWAP STORE
One of the group's stand-out projects is the Aggie Eco-Rep Swap Store.
The Swap Store is a place where items can be donated, swapped or taken by those in need, keeping still-usable items out of the landfill.
It's open each semester, depending on the Campus Events Chair’s hours of availability.
This semester, it has been open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Volunteer Aggie Eco-Rep Campus Events Committee members, under the leadership of the Campus Events Chair, run the store.
The Swap Store began as a monthly pop-up event around campus and its now permanent location, Hullabaloo 114C, was established in 2023.
Former Aggie Eco-Reps president Kellen Moore, ’24, comments:
“I remember last fall, we had one person come through who was experiencing homelessness and used our Swap Store to get clothes and office supplies that they needed to get back on their feet while they were looking for a new home. People tend to take less than what they donate, which is great, so we might need a larger space soon to store all the donations.”
Currently, because of Aggie Eco-Reps’ hard work and dedication, big efforts are underway to raise money for a larger Swap Store.
The Swap Store is not a one-one trade. Students take items without donating and vice versa. They often donate items they no longer need without taking anything in return.
“We accept clothes, books/school supplies, jewelry, decorations, kitchenware and other miscellaneous items,” says president Namblar. “We do not accept underwear, socks, damaged items, food, furniture, electronics and items larger than three cubic feet. And we censure items to make sure that they are of good quality.
LEADERSHIP ROLES
The club includes six executives, one advisor, and roughly 40 members, split into four committees – Campus Events, Education, Fundraising, Marketing, and Communications.
President Nambiar guides with a strong love for sustainability.
“I have always been conscious of my environmental footprint, growing up. I moved to the United States during COVID-19, with a background of volunteering to help our planet. I really whetted my appetite for sustainability by belonging to the Students for Environmental Action Club in high school, wherein I helped reuse food waste from our cafeteria as compost and segregating different types of waste,” she said.
Once she became an Aggie, her goal was to join a sustainability club.
“I found that goal in Aggie Eco-Reps. I was in the Education Committee, before becoming the 2026 president.”
President Nambiar doesn’t plan on entering the environmental field. Her professional goal is to be a life or health actuary. But she is interested in how environmental issues like climate change, pollution and lifestyle affect public health and mortality trends.
“Rather, I am in my senior year as an applied mathematics major with minors in astrophysics and statistics. While traditionally property and casualty actuaries dealt with natural disasters, nowadays, life and health actuaries are essential in assessing how climate-related health risks and demographic shifts impact life factors like expectancy and insurance coverage,” she says.
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
While the Events Committee focuses on campus events, the Education Committee serves as the outreach arm for the Aggie Eco-Reps by providing sustainable programs to residence halls and organizations.
The Fundraising Committee plans fundraisers for the Aggie Eco-Reps. They manage finances, Succulent Sales, the Fun-Run and Profit Shares.
The Marketing and Communications Committee handles social media and websites through tasks like photography and video events to produce Instagram reels and You Tube videos about sustainability.
During each semester, the club host weekly meetings.
“We meet once a week for one hour, about 12 times a semester," said Nambiar. "We have a completely free, open membership for all students to join. This includes both on-and-off campus students."
The last meeting of the semester was held in April but the incoming president Ariel Tafolla is preparing to take over the helm next fall.
To learn more or to join the Aggie Eco-Reps, contact aer@reslife.tamu.edu.