Take a few minutes to get to know Indigo Tran and learn about her passion for creating a better environment. 
Tell us a little bit about you. My name is Indigo Tran, and I’m an international student here at Missouri State University. I’m from Hanoi, Vietnam. I’m a senior in Environmental Biology and Evolution, minoring in Sustainability and Computer Science. My involvement on campus is quite vast, but currently, I’m an officer of Green Student Alliance, Fill It Forward project director, a manager at the MSU Campus Garden, and an officer of American Fisheries Society MO chapter. In the past, I’ve served on the committee of Public Affair Conference Spring 2018 and a panel producer, and a member of Association of International Students.
What is the Fill It Forward project? How did you get involved in this project? What are the goals? Fill It Forward is an app-based experience that promotes reusable containers used instead of single-use products. Scan the MSU-specific bar-code on your Fill It Forward app > Accrue points and Get Rewards. At the same time, every point goes to the university collective effort to donate clean water to a community in need.
How to get involve:
1. Download the app “Fill It Forward” on your mobile device
2. Grab a MSU bar-code sticker for your reusable bottle/mug
3. Accrue points by scanning your individual bar-code on your bottle when you refill around campus OR scan PSU vendors’ bar-code when you purchase a beverage in your own container for more points.
4. Earn rewards from your points
5. Donate clean water to a community in need by scanning and accruing points.
Eva Klein, a fellow Missouri State student, and I got the proposal for Fill It Forward passed through the sustainability fund committee in Spring 2018. I’m the current director of the program. The goal of this project is to incentivize students to use reusable containers rather than single-use products such as plastic straws, cups, Styrofoam, etc.
What is the sustainability fund and how did it help you with this project? The Student Sustainability Fund is a fund by students for students to encourage sustainable initiatives on campus. Every student put $2 per semester of their tuition into the fund, and this helps with every student initiative that can make campus more green. Our proposal, Fill It Forward (previously known as Cupanion), was voted through the Sustainability Commission and funded by the Sustainability Fund.
What is the Green Student Alliance? How can students get involved? Green Student Alliance (previous we are Eco-Reps) is a new student organization that focus on making sustainable changes on MSU campus and in the local community, where students engage with their peers on sustainability issues. We organize campus-wide events and support student initiatives. You can connect with us via social media @GSA_MSU or contact us directly at greenalliance.msu@gmail.com. We have monthly meetings and committees that focus on specific projects throughout the school year.
Why are you so passionate about sustainability? I think the idea of sustainability comes naturally with my upbringing and my passion for the environment. I believe that it is my role to speak up and take action because I should not just be waiting around for someone else to fix the environmental issues that we all know are negatively impacting every corner of the Earth.
What are the benefits of the Fill It Forward project? Fill It Forward gives students an opportunity to say no to single-use products and empower the activist in every single one of us, starting with one small habit of choosing our reusable containers.
What is your favorite Missouri State tradition? Why? I love volunteer days and the Public Affairs Conference at Missouri State University. I’ve been fortunate to be on both sides, as the participant and the organizer for volunteer opportunities and PAC, and I still look forward to it every semester.
What are three ways you would share for students and families to be more sustainable? If you are a student, faculty or staff members on MSU campus, check out Fill It Forward. It’s an easy way to be more sustainable on an individual basis, get rewards and give back to charity at the same time. And take a step further with reusable containers: I pack my snacks in mason jars or cloth wrap so that I save on those mid-afternoon craving trips to the vending machine. Or step it up and pack your lunch to go also. One thing that I don’t see mentioned often is e-waste. Our junk emails are stored on a server somewhere which consume energy 24/7. The more messages, the more servers. So taking 10-15 minutes to clear up your inbox per month is reducing the demand for energy and lowering your hidden environmental impact.