On Jan. 19, 2025, Elizabeth Caruthers Park in Downtown Portland was picked clean of garbage and litter. But this was no routine custodial service, this was done by a group of nearly two dozen volunteers organized and led by two Portland State students.
Mary Macias-Ibarra and Marina Mamina are PSU Undergraduate Students who have found a place in more than one community. The two are also members of ASEZ, an international volunteer organization dedicated to environmental advocacy and crime prevention. ASEZ stands for ‘Save the Earth from A to Z,’ (‘SE’ stretches from ‘A’ to ‘Z’ in the acronym). Macias-Ibarra and Mamina hope to bring the organization to campus, forming an official student club for likeminded peers.
“We’ll start with educating and trying to raise awareness,” said Mamina, who studies applied health and fitness. “…many people are really hopeless, and they don’t think they can really change anything, but there are ways to change.”
ASEZ consists of university students and is a volunteer wing of the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG)—a nondenominational Christian church founded in South Korea in 1964. Despite the affiliation, several volunteers claimed that membership to the church or devotion to the faith is not required to join ASEZ.
However, the ideology and values of the church are heavily interwoven with the teachings at ASEZ.
“We believe in not only just God the Father, but God the Father and God the mother…” Macias-Ibarra said. “So we kind of implement the teaching, like the love of a mother, just because the love of a mother is really strong.”
According to the members, the Church strongly identifies with the concept of a “Mother Earth.”
This belief motivates members to take a strong stance for environmental advocacy and against pollution, leading them to frequently host cleanup events across the world. The two students and their ASEZ peers spent several hours picking up garbage at Elizabeth Caruthers Park last month, and that was just one of numerous local volunteer events they’ve recently been a part of.
In addition, the organization aims to reduce crime through preventative measures. The group hosts seminars and teach-ins on crime prevention techniques, advocating for a proactive approach propelled by individual action and community maintenance. Citing a methodology referred to as “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED), ASEZ volunteers will often host events such as graffiti removal followed by replacement mural paintings.
According to the ASEZ website, “when the community environment is neglected and disorderly, the likelihood of crime increases. Through diverse CPTED activities like environmental cleanup and mural painting, ASEZ contributes to enhancing local communities, making them vibrant and pleasant, ultimately preventing crime.”
The most significant challenge Mamina and Macias-Ibarra have faced has been recruiting students.
“Students are very busy, even in their own clubs or their own studies, so that’s the main thing,” Macias-Ibarra said. “But people are really interested…”
“Yeah, especially students that are really interested in environmental stuff,” Mamina said.
Throughout the past year, the two undergraduates have been a part of numerous events with ASEZ. They hosted a seminar at the Nike World Headquarters, had meetings with local politicians and saw their team win The President’s Volunteer Service Award for 2024 from AmeriCorps—the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The award was written to ASEZ WAO—a partnership organization under the WMSCOG.
“We also met with all the sustainability professors and staff here at Portland State, and we’re also trying to collaborate with them and find a way we can do volunteer service,” Mamina said.
“Our resolution is for ASEZ to partner up with Portland State University for future volunteer activities and holding events for educating students in making a change,” Mamina stated in an email.
