Sustainability Spotlight: Bek Ervin

Each month, we will highlight a UNC Charlotte community member who is an advocate for sustainability on campus. This September, we are highlighting one our of student Zero Waste Stewards, who assists with zero waste efforts on campus. This includes zero waste football game days and properly sorting materials to ensure as much is diverted from the landfills as possible.

Learn more about zero waste at UNC Charlotte here. The Office of Sustainability will be hiring Zero Waste Stewards later in the fall of 2026.

What is your name?

Bek Ervin

What is your job title?

Zero Waste Steward

How long have you been at UNC Charlotte?

I have been at UNC Charlotte for a year.

What does sustainability mean to you? 

Sustainability is about preserving the world for future generations, making sure we do everything possible to keep the world not only livable but a place you want to live. 

How do you implement sustainability into your day-to-day role at UNC Charlotte? 

I walk to and from school almost every day, and take carpools when walking isn’t an option. Being a student, I also am in the position to teach my peers about sustainability and small things that they can easily do to be more sustainable. This month I taught my roommate all the ways she could recycle on campus. 

As the new academic year begins, what is one thing you’d like UNC Charlotte students to know about sustainability at UNC Charlotte? 

I would like them to know that it isn’t hard to be sustainable; it’s not an all-or-nothing situation. You can recycle your bottles and make a difference without having to start a compost. You can get packages in a more sustainable way rather than just giving up deliveries altogether. Any little thing you do to be sustainable matters.  

What is your favorite way to practice health and wellness? 

I enjoy getting outside, especially when I study because it helps to ground me. Sometimes I even bring my cat out hiking with me!

Is there a specific person, quote, etc. that inspires you?

A big inspiration for me is a robotics mentor I had as a kid, Darrell Shier. He came to every robotics meeting after working a full day as an engineer, full of energy to help the team. He was like a second dad for everyone on that team, and he’s one of the big reasons I actually went to college. I hope to be as kind and stable as he always was.