Searching for a local pumpkin patch to visit this season? Look no further than the Think Green club’s very own garden, right here on Drury’s campus. The newly rejuvenated environmentalism-focused club invites everyone to visit their brand new garden and is currently hosting a highly rewarding activity with prize opportunities for all students this month.

The quaint, picturesque garden is open to all, located outside the door at the end of the south hall in the Trustee Science Center building. On display are tomato plants, apple trees, its very own pumpkin patch, a lush greenhouse and various plants such as sunflowers and milkweed, which invites many lively monarch butterflies. Visit if you are looking to explore a new place on campus, hang out and take pictures with friends or find a new spot to do homework at, on blankets or in outdoor chairs.

Unfortunately, Springfield winters often bring snow and cold weather, meaning unsuitable growing conditions for the garden. The greenery won’t be around for too much longer this season, so make sure to pay it a visit before the frost gets there first. Of course, you can always return in the springtime, to lend a hand in regrowing the garden, or simply to visit and enjoy the outdoors.

The founder and main caretaker of this impressive garden is Think Green’s current president Danny Behlmann, who can be found proudly offering garden-grown produce to classmates and fellow students around campus. The Drury junior has been the club’s president since March of 2021, since then he has been working hard to get the word out about the organization and what it means to ‘Think Green.’

Danny emphasizes, “Think Green doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. The purpose of Think Green is to send you off with a better understanding and better habits about being sustainable.” He stresses that it really is “so much more” than just coming to the meetings, regardless of club membership or not. If Think Green causes people to build these habits and make “greener” choices, then they will have fulfilled their goal. With that being said, Think Green is always looking for new members, but, more importantly, ways to get people active in the mission of the club. You can start, or continue, your own goals of making great environmental choices by participating in their open activity through this month.

Throughout this month of October, Think Green is hosting a Bingo/scavenger hunt hybrid activity, with some big prizes at stake for 5-10 winners. The goal is to achieve a ‘bingo’ by filling up squares on the board, by completing various environmentalism-related activities and submitting proof by DM (direct message) to the club’s official Instagram account, @ThinkGreenDrury, from now through October 29. The bingo squares include fun challenges such as shopping at a farmer’s market, thrifting clothes, creatively reusing trash and many more exciting opportunities to make sustainable changes to your daily life. Participate and earn the most points for a chance to win camping gear, sustainable goods or even practical items everyone needs in college. The bingo card and more essential information can be found on their page, as well.

If you happen to be a newer Panther, maybe you’ve thought that Think Green is a brand new club on campus, but this is actually not the case. Think Green has existed for years, but encountered some hardships when the pandemic hit and saw no one able to oversee the organization. Then, Claire Utley stepped up to take on the role of club president, and thanks to the leadership of her and some others, Think Green won the Most Improved Club award for the 2020-2021 school year. Claire, now a Drury senior studying arts administration and fine arts, recalls that she was one of four students who saw a plan for Think Green and delegated the needed roles and offices among themselves. “It was an honor for Think Green to win the most improved club award last year because we spent time bringing the club back and executing a few events,” she writes.

This prestigious award truly showcases the ambitious nature of Think Green’s officers and members, setting a strong foundation to see continuous growth in membership numbers and making strong impacts on campus and in everyday life. They overcame some challenges with bringing the club back from its hiatus, and Claire writes, “Covid definitely put the club at a standstill because we just had our first meeting before campus was closed down for the semester…when we started [to get the club active again], not many people knew about Think Green so we had a hard time getting the word out to people that we were back.” Think Green and its current members want you to know that the club is indeed back in business, and they’re always open to whomever wants to get involved.

Think Green hopes to see you participate in its main Bingo activity this month, and always invites you and your friends to enjoy their new garden space, which they have been working so hard on to grow and cultivate. This month, whether or not you choose to participate in their activities, try to ‘Think Green’ in your own daily life by choosing environmentally sustainable products and ingredients, and build new green habits, like using less water and electricity, and recycling.

If you have any questions, or would love to get involved, please contact Danny Behlmann at  dbehlmann@drury.edu.