Group projects can be difficult even when they are not taking place in the midst of a global pandemic. There are always obstacles and uncertainties, but these complications have been amplified in the past year. Despite all that, a team of students from the Sustainable Spartans Club built a wall that our campus can be proud of.

Working with the Office of Sustainability, the Green Space Initiative started out as a project to create a living wall inside the MSU library. A green wall would not only help to beautify campus, but also reduce MSU’s carbon footprint. After initial planning, the group’s first proposal received praise—but no funding. However, the team did not give up, and they eventually secured funding and support from IPF at MSU to construct their living wall.

“You need to adjust and help each other through that, when things happen that you don’t anticipate,” said Amy Butler, MBA, Director of Sustainability for MSU.

Their hard work on the proposal was just the beginning for the group of Sustainable Spartans. The students participated in multi-disciplinary work that required understanding everything from supply chain management to social media management. The team worked with experts from the university in the field of landscape architecture to design their wall, coordinated with various suppliers to attain the necessary materials, and used social media to promote their project and document the unveiling of the green wall.

“They never gave up, and the result is really cool,” Butler said. “It was a project where they felt that they were contributing to the sustainability of the university, that they were leaving a legacy.”

The living wall is on the bridge between the MSU Library and Spartan Stadium, serving not only as a physical reminder of their efforts but an inspiration to future students as well. “Each project inspires the next group of students and the next projects,” Butler said.

One goal of the project was to inspire additional types of green spaces on MSU’s campus. Now, thanks to their success, other places around campus are looking into installing living walls, including in the group’s originally planned location inside the MSU library.

Watch this video from the students to see the culmination of their efforts.

Read more about the Green Walls Project on the Sustainability website and in MSUToday.