The Evergreen State College

We are The Evergreen State College’s premier student public interest activism group, and have been since the early 1980s. We work to protect the environment and public health, fight hunger on campus and in our community, make college more affordable, and promote civic engagement.

 

Our WashPIRG chapter works with professional staff on campus to educate the public, run grassroots campaigns, and lobby our elected officials here in Olympia and in Washington, DC so we can get real results. For example, we helped pass the Washington Clean Electricity Bill that committed our state to 100% clean electricity to address climate change. In 2025, we helped pass the Right to Repair bills, which enable consumers to repair their own devices and wheelchairs by having fair access to parts and manuals. We furthermore helped pass the Recycling Reform Act this year, which makes manufacturers financially responsible for the recycling of their product packaging. We have also organized fundraisers and service hours for the Thurston County Food Bank, encouraged voter registration for the 2024 Election, and are building support to ban unnecessary single-use plastics in Washington to protect marine life.

 

The thing that makes us effective is that we are funded by the student body through a $8 per student per-term waivable fee.

 

We offer opportunities for you to become an intern or volunteer, where you can learn a variety of skills while really making a difference. Open internship positions include Campaign Coordinators, Coalition Coordinator, Grassroots Coordinator, Lists/Logistics Coordinator, Big Events Coordinator and Visibility & Media Coordinator, all of which can also gain you college credits! Engaged members can even lead their own campaign! By joining WashPIRG Students, you can see how easy it is to get involved in a large movement for social change.

 

This Fall Quarter, we are working on our campaign to Save the Bees! Bees are nature’s best pollinators, and we rely on them to support our ecosystems by pollinating native plants, and keeping our food systems growing. Unfortunately, in the U.S., we saw a 75% reduction of bee populations in the U.S. over the last year, and 1 in 3 native bee species are now at risk of extinction in Washington. A class of pesticides called neonics is particularly harmful for bees, and they are widely used to coat seeds to grow food in Washington. This is why we are working to advocate for strong restrictions on seeds coated with this bee-killing pesticide!

 

We are also working on a campaign to reduce hunger and homelessness on campus and in Washington! Every student living on campus is currently required to buy a meal plan, and at the end of every quarter, any unspent meals or dining bucks from that plan (up to $1.6k) expire. We are advocating for the roll-over or refunding of unspent dining bucks at the end of quarters, and the ability to donate meals to students in need.