What we're thankful for - Student PIRGs

As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m reflecting on the future we’re working toward and grateful that thousands of students across the country are choosing to step up and lead toward that vision every single day.

The values we share

Rutgers – Camden student leaders advocating for the bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act. Confusion over expiration labels is responsible for an estimated 20 percent of consumer food waste, equivalent to 1.3 billion meals or a quarter of all the meals Feeding America food banks distributed in 2022.

I’m thankful for the values we share. In today’s polarized environment, it’s easy to believe there are only two sides and that the way forward is to defeat an “enemy.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Americans agree on far more than we disagree on: that everyone should have the chance to build a healthy, meaningful life; that our systems should work for people, not special interests, with everyone playing by the same rules; and that we all benefit from clean air, clean water, and preserving our natural heritage for future generations.

We can make substantial progress when we organize around these shared values — and students are proving that every day.

Students taking the lead

The best way to train students to lead campaigns is to trust them with real leadership — and we take that seriously. Nearly 90 percent of the board members for Student PIRG groups are current students. They set our vision, choose our campaigns, shape our budget, and drive our strategy. I’m grateful every day for the energy, commitment, and talent this generation brings to the public interest movement.

(Top left) Gloria Jeon of Georgia State University hosting a honey tasting event to save the bees; (Top right) University of Pittsburgh and University of Oregon students after presenting at the OpenEd Conference; (Bottom left) UMass Boston student Max Fondren and Greenfield Community College student Mike Hannigan advocating for student basic needs; (Bottom right) UCLA student Leila Salaam speaking at a press conference with six legislators about California’s landmark waste reduction bill, SB 54.

Real Results

I’m grateful for the tangible progress students have made in their communities over the past year.

At the University of South Florida, students won their campaign to end funding for student group events that use single-use plastics and polystyrene. In Georgia, our coalition took a major step toward protecting the Okefenokee Swamp — the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi. In New Jersey, two more cities officially committed to becoming Bee Friendly Communities. And in Santa Barbara, the company proposing the Sable pipeline was fined a record $18 million, marking a major victory for environmental accountability.

We’re thankful for your support and we want to be transparent about the challenges ahead. Like many nonprofits right now, we’re facing a tough fundraising climate. If we don’t hit our fundraising goals, we’ll go into the primaries with fewer staff, fewer students able to attend in-person boot camps and lobby days, and fewer young people trained on the door-to-door skills that are crucial to community organizing. If you’re able to make a contribution to support our work, please donate now!

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