What do native plants, a documentary film and a mural all have in common? In the Carlson Library at least, they’ll be approaching the topic of sustainability through a creative lens — both figuratively and literally.
The film and mural, created by University of Toledo student Caleb Thompson and alumnus Liam Ginter, respectively, were both seeded with inspiration from native plants. Thompson’s film documents the story of the student organization Greening UToledo Through Service Learning, or GUTS, while Ginter’s mural will remain a permanent fixture on the Carlson Library’s first floor.
Thompson, an environmental studies major and film minor, is a GUTS member, and Dr. Todd Crail, the faculty advisor of GUTS, was the first to suggest the idea of creating a GUTS-centered film.
“I had been to GUTS, I had experienced GUTS, but I also knew the other end of the lack of awareness and the lack of publicity,” Thompson said. “That was the fire, maybe the spark.”
Thompson has spent the last two years attending service learning days, conducting interviews and film editing.
“I think there’s great hope out in the world, but I think sometimes it’s really, really hard to find. So, if my lens can be a magnifying glass of hope, then that’s pretty cool,” Thompson said.
In contrast, Ginter had no campus-related sustainability experience until beginning his mural. David Remaklus, director of operations at the Carlson Library, was interested in creating a mural of native plants for the library. After speaking with Crail and the chair of the Department of Art, Ginter was recommended for the project.
Through each project’s development, plans are in the making for both to debut at an upcoming student sustainability summit at the Carlson Library as a celebration of how art and the environment can bring people together, regardless of background.
“What we’re hoping to do with this summit is to get everybody in the same room,” Crail said. “There is so much hidden work … that goes into producing this. There’s people, students, who have stepped up into those roles.”
And the summit is just the beginning. Both Thompson and Ginter intend to inspire next steps for sustainability through their respective mediums.
“I think the artist’s goal is to get people to feel something. Maybe it’s not up to me to determine what they feel, but I think if I can get them to feel, period, I think that’s what I’m at,” Thompson said.
“A feeling, although it comes and passes … you may sit with a feeling for the rest of your life,” Ginter said.
The drive to promote sustainability isn’t only shared by the students. Remaklus is planning further sustainability-themed programming at the Carlson Library and Crail is hoping to expand the work of GUTS into the Toledo community.
“Even if you’re not part of the environmental sciences … you actually can be involved in research outside your discipline and enhance your learning experience while you’re here,” Remaklus said.
“The key there is — and this is what I see as my job as an educator — is to build space for students to fill. I provide the context, they provide the content,” Crail said. “We need implementers, and we need interpreters. What I really like about Liam and Caleb’s projects is they demonstrate it’s everybody. It’s Toledo.”
