Over the last year, no area of sustainability has drawn as much interest from students in Columbia University's Sustainability Management graduate program than the environmental performance of the fashion industry. One of these students is Kwesi Blair, who has, himself, worked in the retail of fashion for a decade, and who has experienced, firsthand, the need for sustainability management in that industry. In this interview, Blair, discusses the integration of sustainability into the fashion industry. The M.S. in Sustainability Management program, says Blair, “has given me the tools to help integrate sustainable practices across all business units."
Kwesi Blair is the Senior Vice President of Strategy at Robert Burke Associates and former student in Columbia University's Sustainability Management graduate program.
1. What is your current job and what are the responsibilities associated with your position?
I am Senior Vice President of Strategy at Robert Burke Associates. I am tasked with developing solutions for how brands and retailers think through growth, positioning, consumer engagement and relevance. I travel often to cities all over the world to assess opportunities for brands, and determine optimal strategies for entering new markets. I also regularly advise investors who want to understand whether or not certain brands and retailers are viable investment targets.
2. What have you found in your field that needs to improve and how do you intend to do so once you achieve your degree?
I have worked in fashion and retail developing strategy for over a decade, and continue to be disappointed and concerned by the lack of awareness or action within the industry around sustainability. I would like to use my degree to help brands navigate realistic sustainable goals that will ultimately improve their businesses, while taking responsibility for their environmental and social impacts.
3. What do you think is the most important sustainability challenge?
I believe the most important challenge is clearly communicating what sustainability means and getting people to understand why it's critical from a business perspective.
4. How have you applied what you've learned in the program so far?
I was able to introduce the GRI framework to a client and help them develop a materiality matrix for defining what issues relating to sustainability were most important to the company. This served as the foundation for the company to develop a sustainability report and establish clear, measurable goals.
5. What do you think is the most beneficial aspect of the MSSM program related to your career?
I think the program has given me the tools to help integrate sustainable practices across all business units in the retail industry. I often interact with a variety of teams who work in silos (design, marketing, logistics, finance, etc.) and rarely communicate with each other. I have a better sense of how best to create a realistic sustainability plan that can be applied to an entire organization, and identify where to generate the most impact. I feel comfortable discussing the value of having a sustainability strategy within the context of dollars and cents, which is what all business leaders ultimately care about.
6. Beyond the classroom, what extracurricular sustainability related have you engaged in with your fellow sustainability management students?
I've enjoyed going to a few happy hours outside of classes. The students in our program come from so many backgrounds and places around the world, and everyone is eager to share what they know. I've found that most students are very generous with making connections to people who might be able to offer some professional guidance or insight. It's a very welcoming environment.
7. What is your favorite class in the MSSM program so far and why?
Having the experience to work on a real problem with my fellow students was extremely valuable, having the opportunity to travel to Butte, Montana, in Lynnette Widder's Responsiveness and Resiliency in the Built Environment class was great preparation for Capstone. Also I got to spend more quality time with a few of my classmates.
8. What tips do you have for your fellow students who are looking for a job in sustainability?
Every person that you meet in the program is a possible resource or connection. Ask questions and learn about what people do and who they might know. Also, the professors and lecturers are very committed to helping students, so don't be shy about asking them about tapping into their network.
9. How has collaborating with your fellow students in projects in the classroom benefited you professionally and personally?
It's been really valuable to work with people who have a completely different frame of reference and skill set than me. The idea of sustainability touches on so many parts of an organization, so it's been really good to better understand how different professionals approach issues and solve problems. I feel confident that I can effectively communicate with CEO's, architects, scientists, investors, engineers, marketers and everyone in between.
The M.S. in Sustainability Management, co-sponsored by the Earth Institute and Columbia's School of Professional Studies, trains students to tackle complex and pressing environmental and managerial challenges. The program requires the successful completion of 36 credit points. Those credit points are divided among five comprehensive content areas: integrative sustainability management, economics and quantitative analysis, the physical dimensions of sustainability, the public policy environment of sustainability management, and general and financial management. Visit our website to learn more.
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Turning passion for the environment into action that transforms how organizations do business requires skills and training. Columbia University's graduate program in Sustainability Management prepares students to change organizations in this way, graduating students like James Ossman of Etsy. In this interview, Ossman answers questions about how he integrates sustainability across the firm's global operations.
What are the responsibilities associated with your position?
I'm the global operations manager at Etsy, which is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods. In this role, I'm responsible for internal operations at our nine global offices. I design and oversee our strategy for facilities management, health, safety and security, and I also partner with departments throughout the company to help implement their programs at our international locations. This includes things like our food program that features locally sourced lunches (called Eatsy), our community-based partnerships and employee volunteering programs, our team celebrations, and more.
On a day-to-day basis I spend a lot of time managing the global team that makes our offices creative, weird, sustainable and fun places to work. I also develop policies, tools, and systems that support Etsy's rapidly scaling physical presence and employee population.
I also wear a second hat at Etsy, serving as the co-leader of our Zero Waste task force. In this capacity I'm responsible for our efforts to increase the rate of waste diverted from landfill, and reducing the overall quantity of waste we produce.
Do your current job responsibilities align with the professional goals that you originally had when you began the MSSM program?
When I enrolled in the MSSM program, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to get out of it. I knew I was looking for a career transition into the private sector, and that I was interested in working for companies that have a business model that promotes sustainability.
At some point along the way, I started to focus in on B-Corps, and the idea of working for a company that really embeds sustainability in the fabric of its DNA. I didn't want to be part of a sustainability department in a company where I would be fighting an uphill battle to convince other departments of the value of sustainable approaches, but rather, to do the job function that I know and love (operations) in a company that demands I take a sustainable approach to my work. My job at Etsy really achieves that goal 100 percent.
What inspired you to work in sustainability?
My professional life provides a huge amount of personal fulfillment for me, and because of this I really put my heart into whatever I'm doing. I need to feel connected to the mission and values I'm promoting through my work in order to stay motivated. It's also important that I can feel and see my impact. Working in sustainability keeps me connected to the environment around me and allows me to create and contribute to the world that I want to be a part of.
What has been your biggest challenge associated with sustainability?
I would say that my biggest challenge related to sustainability has been prioritizing where I focus my energy. Etsy is all about building for the long term, and I'm trying to instill that value into my approach to sustainable operations. I have had to resist the urge to jump into more glamorous sustainability initiatives, because it's most important that I build a solid base of systems and processes that set us up for success down the road.
What has been your biggest accomplishment associated with sustainability?
When I started in this role, Etsy was already doing amazing things to reduce its waste and increase its diversion to landfill. This year we took the next step and established formal sustainability goals that we will be publicly announcing. I led the effort around our waste reduction targets. It was great to be able to pull together all of our awesome work to build sustainable systems and engage employees under a single strategy. Now with a clear target in sight, I've been able to focus our efforts to set us on a path to achieving our goal.
What skills has the MSSM program taught you that you think have proven useful to your current position?
I've used a lot of the analytical skills, such as cost benefit analysis and accounting, in my current role. I also have applied many skills gained through my capstone project developing a zero waste strategy for a municipality in upstate New York.
What was your favorite class?
I approached the program looking to leave with a new tool kit of hard skills. GHG reporting, cost benefit analysis, decision models, GIS and others all helped me to achieve this, and were classes I really enjoyed.
How do you intend to utilize your degree in furthering your career?
At the moment, I'm feeling quite settled in how the MSSM program has helped to advance my career. It's great to know though, that I always have a network and the skills I gained in the program to fall back on when I'm ready for my next step.
What tips do you have for your fellow students who are looking for a job in sustainability?
Think beyond jobs with the word sustainability in the title. There are lots of companies out there modeled around sustainable products and services, or that hold sustainability as a core value. In companies like this, you can work in any role and sustainability will be a major part of what you do.
What do you think is the most beneficial aspect of the MSSM program with regard to your career?
I walked away from the program feeling more confident in my analytical skills, and well-versed in the science, theory and language of sustainability. For me, this has been the difference between being interested in and passionate about sustainability, and being able to lead sustainability initiatives with authority.
The M.S. in Sustainability Management, co-sponsored by the Earth Institute and Columbia's School of Professional Studies, trains students to tackle complex and pressing environmental and managerial challenges. The program requires the successful completion of 36 credit points. Those credit points are divided among five comprehensive content areas: integrative sustainability management, economics and quantitative analysis, the physical dimensions of sustainability, the public policy environment of sustainability management, and general and financial management. Visit our website to learn more.
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In the beginning of 2015, David Prieto went off to Palau to study manta rays as part of his study of sustainability management at Columbia University. By the end of that year, the small island state in the western Pacific Ocean had used Prieto's work to pass a new law that protected manta rays from the growing traffic of boats that promise tourists a close-up experience with the majestic fish.
David Prieto, a former student at The Earth Institute's Master of Science in Sustainability Management, helped establish the Manta Ray Conservation Act of the Republic of Palau, which helped create the sixth largest marine sanctuary in the world.
The Manta Ray Conservation Act of the Republic of Palau helped to create the sixth largest marine sanctuary in the world. The area spans the German Channel, a key maritime route, and the only direct passage from the tourist center in Koror to the most popular manta ray watching sites in the country. With tourism growing more than threefold since 2000, boats have increasingly injured manta rays in the German Channel. Manta ray watching tourism contributes more than U.S. $6.8 million annually to the economy, or about 2.5 percent of GDP.
Prieto worked with The Manta Trust, a nongovernmental organization, to develop sustainable tourism management practices. The study involved understanding the effects of boats on manta rays, accounting for the perceptions of tourist boat operators and divers, and forging a management plan that could safeguard the fish, while also preserving the livelihoods of the operators.
Survey results showed that the year 2015 was a poor one for manta ray watching. Divers reported that the number of boat operators in the German Channel had increased by 90 percent since 2010. This growth in traffic, the divers said, was bad for the manta rays and for tourism.
Prieto and his colleagues proposed measures that became part of Palau's new law. Under the Conservation Act, boats are prohibited from entering parts of the German Channel, and there are penalties for violators. The law also provides for ranger, who will enforce the law, training of operators, and a public awareness program for divers and snorkelers.
The work in Palau helped Prieto complete a Master's degree in Sustainability Management, a joint program of Columbia's Earth Institute and the School of Professional Studies.
The new law, Prieto said, “was just a piece of the larger puzzle towards conserving the vast resources that our oceans have to offer, but this achievement could not have been accomplished without the support of The Earth Institute."
The M.S. in Sustainability Management trains students to integrate environmental concerns in the operations of organizations. The curriculum comprises 36 credits in the areas of integrative sustainability management, economics and quantitative analysis, the physical dimensions of sustainability, the public policy environment of sustainability management, and general and financial management.
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In the Fair Haven section of New Haven, Conn., rates of obesity and diabetes are high, and access to healthy fresh food can be limited. For some residents of this low-income neighborhood, New Haven Farms is just what the doctor ordered.
The small non-profit agency grows vegetables on several plots around the city, and conducts classes in basic nutrition and healthy cooking. New Haven Farms grew out of a program run by the Fair Haven Community Health Center, which serves the largely low-income, Hispanic neighborhood. Doctors actually prescribe the program as one way to help patients at risk from diet-related diseases like Diabetes 2 learn a healthier lifestyle.
Last fall, a team of students in the Earth Institute's Master of Science in Sustainability Management program traveled to Connecticut to study the New Haven Farms operation and come up with ways to expand its growing capacity and the number of people it serves. This “Capstone Workshop" was one of several conducted by teams of students in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program and serves in place of a thesis, giving students a hands-on experience consulting for a real-world client. This video tells the story of what the New Haven Farms team did.
The New Haven Farms wellness program runs for 16-20 weeks during the growing season and has served nearly 200 people since 2012. The staff cultivates a little over an acre of land, primarily at two sites. The produce goes into a community supported agriculture program that for a fee provides low- and middle-income residents with fresh vegetables weekly during the growing season. The program also runs a farm stand and sells vegetables to local restaurants.
One garden plot sits next to the Quinnipiac River just beyond Interstate 95, nestled beneath a massive wind turbine, on a quarter acre loaned by Phoenix Press. Participants come here for classes in cooking and nutrition, and to learn about farming. Some of the residents have emigrated from rural areas in Latin America where farming was a way of life; but in this urban setting, their options for using those skills are limited.
Over on Ferry Street, an abandoned lot has been turned into another lush garden. One portion is lined with rows of tomatoes and other vegetables. A second section, on loan from the New Haven Land Trust, is set aside for small, raised-bed gardens that make up the “garden incubator" program. Here the graduates of the wellness program can cultivate their own small plots of vegetables. They get farming advice from the New Haven Farms and land trust gardeners. Such partnerships have been crucial to the development of the program.
One of the goals of New Haven Farms is to keep people in the neighborhood involved in community farming, perpetuating the lessons learned in the farming and wellness program. The agency also runs a youth program to teach youngsters early on about the value of fresh produce and healthy eating. (“Cherry tomatoes are the secret to getting kids into vegetables," advises farm manager Jacqueline Maisonpierre.)
The challenges for the students were diverse: How to create a financially sustainable model, increase the staff, grow more vegetables and expand the wellness program to more people, and build a more ongoing relationship between community members and New Haven Farms.
The 14 students in the sustainability program who took on these challenges came to Columbia from places as diverse as Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Greenwich, Conn., Toronto and Beijing, and brought to the project a range of experience—environmental consulting, sustainable farming, urbanization issues, finance, public administration, management. They interviewed New Haven Farms staff, studied New Haven's demographics, and investigated other urban farm and wellness programs. Their advisor was Thomas Abdallah, chief environmental engineer for the MTA/New York City Transit.
In the end, they came up with a detailed presentation that outlines several ways New Haven Farms could build its programs into the future. For instance, a modest investment in alternative farming techniques such as a “hightower" greenhouse and hydroponics could expand the growing season and potentially double crop yields. That could mean more produce to sell, raising more money for the program.
The students also recommended adding a third full-time staffer and suggested ways for the organization to build partnerships with other local organizations and increase financial stability.
The Capstone Workshop is a key feature of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program, co-sponsored by the Earth Institute and Columbia's School of Professional Studies. The program trains students to tackle complex and pressing environmental and managerial challenges. An information session on the program will be held from 6 - 7:30 p.m., Feb. 17, at the Faculty House on Columbia's Morningside campus. For more on the event, email Allison E. Ladue at ael2133@columbia.edu; to register, go here. The next application deadline for the program is May 15.
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Reilly Reynolds is a senior at Ohio Wesleyan University, studying Economics and Spanish. She hopes to go into urban farming when she graduates, and eventually own a farm-to-table organic restaurant.
As we transition into the new year, consider what could be accomplished in 2016 if every person made one of their New Years resolutions to live a more conscious, sustainable lifestyle. Being an environmentalist, student, global citizen and Turning Green student advisory board member, I strive to lead an environmentally friendly and socially responsible life, but there is always room for improvement.
Project Green Challenge 2015 finalists. Photo credit: Madeleine Welsh
Before we can look forward, we should look back to both the sweet victories and the setbacks, of 2015 to understand the current state of the world and where improvement is desperately needed. Many outstanding leaders have joined the “green" movement and it's become very clear this is not a trend, it's a way of life to ensure the health and well being of our planet and our future. I am thrilled to be a steward for positive change among arguably the most aware and eco-friendly generation yet. We've marched, we've petitioned and in many cases, we've won victories that have carried us forward into new territory.
2015 progress ...
After the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act was passed by the House, hundreds of concerned individuals, organizations and companies raised their voices and the Senate listened, blocking the passage of any bill that prevents labeling of genetically modified organisms or GMOs. This is a huge victory against multi-billion dollar biotech and food corporations and underscores the belief that Americans should absolutely have the right to know what is in their food and the right to choose organic and non-GMO alternatives if desired.
During the Paris climate conference, 195 countries signed a revolutionary agreement to collectively combat climate change. President Obama signed into law the Micro-bead Free Waters Act of 2015, which will phase out and ban the use of microbeads (little bits of plastic) in the beauty and body care products, a huge win for waterways and the health of marine life across the globe. Renewable energy sources are on the rise, home improvement stores have taken action to phase out and remove neonicotinoid pesticides that kill bees from their plants and Keystone XL was rejected.
With people, political representatives and organizations around the world fighting to protect our planet, we forge forward into 2016. As we do so, it's essential to remember that each and every voice makes a difference. At Turning Green, we follow the motto “Dream and Do," knowing that every major impact starts with one. It starts with each voice vowing to be the change we wish to see, to be both a dreamer and a doer and to work with other extraordinary human beings to build on our accomplishments from this past year.
The new year is a perfect time to make such a pledge. My fellow Project Green Challenge 2015 finalists sent in their eco-resolutions for 2016 and we invite everyone around the globe to participate in the betterment of our planet, our health and our future. Project Green Challenge (PGC) encourages participants to transition from conventional to conscious over the course of one month and has been one of the most influential, impactful experiences of my life. The 2015 finalists' responses demonstrate that no matter what your interests or passions are, there are ways to incorporate them into your conscious lifestyle plans for 2016!
Support Sustainable Food
Food is a common passion among all environmentalists. With the appearance of new genetic modifications, the allowance of artificial chemicals and preservatives and the lack of access to safe and healthy foods, there's much work to be done. One PGC 2015 finalist, Matt Gal from University of Arkansas, stated that, “My new year's resolution is to grow and give away as much fresh and organic food as possible to people who need it most." Matt has future hopes of becoming an organic farmer. Missy Martin, the 2015 PGC Champion, also focused on food for her resolution: “I hope to get started on my aspiration of implementing a Conscious Kitchen in Nashville."
Challenge Your Habits
For others, changing everyday habits is a way to move forward as individuals and team players. “If I need/want something, I will find it secondhand instead of buying it new and work to repair my belongings before purchasing new ones" said Claire August from George Washington University. Buying secondhand is a great way to reduce personal impacts on the planet and divert waste from landfills.
Work with Existing Organizations and Corporations
Julie Polaski from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hopes to work with her school this New Year to get a composting agreement implemented to reduce food waste. Working with schools or other existing organizations to encourage is the best way to ensure successful outcomes of sustainable change. Annie Yu, a sophomore at Jericho High School and will continue to work with her PGC team members to effect change: “In 2016, my teammates Margaret, Emma and I will inspire our school to make changes that will help transition from conventional to conscious practices on campus. Our overreaching goal is to establish a Turning Green Chapter!"
Incorporate Social Justice
Environmental sustainability is connected to every other form of social justice and many elements of different forms can be tied together to allow for huge change. Marina Qutab, the PGC 2015 Runner-Up, is using her resolution to do just that, she says “I want to give others what PGC gave to me: inspiration and hope. I am starting small this winter break by visiting a recovery high school for kids overcoming drug addictions. I will cook FLOSN food (Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Non-GMO) for these kids and talk about the connection between healthy food and a healthy mind." People and planet go hand in hand. We are not apart from nature, we are a part of nature and sustainable living should be available to all humans. My personal resolution is to focus on the accessibility of eco-conscious living for those who are marginalized.
Whether your interest is food, social justice or changing personal habits, there is so much that can be done in the next year. We saw the massive changes that can occur in one year throughout 2015 and we should enter 2016 filled with hope and inspiration for what the future holds. That hope should bring a sense of purpose and a drive to continue to change. We are ready and willing to put our greenest foot forward in the coming year. As PGC finalist Megan Phelps said, “I want to challenge my habits, even the good ones. I am aspiring to be deliberate in what I do; to operate on true intention rather than routine."
Happy New Year from the Turning Green team!
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It’s hard to believe 30 days of this invigorating and mobilizing global challenge has come to an end. For the past five years, the Bay Area-based non-profit Turning Green has hosted this worldwide competition, Project Green Challenge (PGC). Its goal is to inform, inspire and mobilize, to create a global call to action for college and high school students inspiring the transition from conventional to conscious living.
PGC engages youth by uniting them in a commitment to cultivate a healthy, just and thriving planet. PGC is comprised of 30 sustainability-themed challenges, focused on topics relevant to our daily lives including food, zero waste, fair trade, body and non-genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). There are up to four challenge opportunities at varying levels of engagement. Participants received points based upon completing the challenges and the top 20 daily submissions were awarded prizes.
Since its inception in 2011, PGC has given tens of thousands of powerful, dynamic, passionate young leaders from around the world an opportunity to step up to "be the change" in their own lives, on school campuses and in local communities.
Today, we are very proud to announce the PGC Class of 2015 finalists representing a tremendous display of student transformation and activism. This remarkable group of 14 young adults hail from high schools and universities across the U.S., as well as one team from the Netherlands, 50 Shades of Green. As the latter put it: "In one month, I have learned so much about the world. PGC was like an additional subject, learning about life and the impacts of the things we do, to nature and human health. It is incredible, to think back and realize that my knowledge expanded heavily–more than any other subject taught me in one month."
Another student finalist, Marina Qutab of University of Massachusetts Amherst, proclaimed, “[I’ve] learned that I am determined and nothing is going to stop me from changing the world.”
These students and their fellow finalists will be flown to San Francisco in late November to attend the PGC Finals, a three-day eco summit where they will have the opportunity to interact with esteemed environmental leaders, present their experiences from the 30-day Challenge and work together to create innovative platforms for social action. Past speakers have included: Annie Leonard, president and founder of the Story of Stuff Project and the current executive director of Greenpeace; Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group; Adam Werbach, co-founder of yerdle.com; Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. of California; and many more.
Based on presentations by the finalists, a panel of judges will select the Project Green Challenge Champion. The winner will receive a one-of-a-kind grand prize package worth more than $12,000, including a $5,000 Green Award from title sponsor Acure, as well as the opportunity to work with Turning Green and its partners in the coming year.
Here are some profound words from an incredible group of young and mobilized leaders:
- "Project Green Challenge took my knowledge of environmental subjects, expanded on it, propelled me to action and helped me share what I learned with friends and acquaintances in creative ways so that they could also take action." —Claire, George Washington University, Washington, DC
- "My school's food system isn't transparent, so until I know exactly where my food is coming from, I'm responsible for packing my own organic and vegan lunch, bringing my reusable silverware utensils and reusing cloth lunch bags and napkins. My peers, seeing me make changes in my own lifestyle, want to join me in being sustainable. We care about preserving the Earth." —Kendra, Jericho High School, Jericho, NY
- “I was also shocked to learn about the toxins in our everyday products such as my bed sheets! You spend a third of your life in your bed and for your sheets to contribute to health problems is completely ridiculous. After learning that from the Space challenge I have invested in 100 percent organic cotton sheets and have never slept better!" —Julie, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
The Project Green Challenge Class of 2015 finalists.
- "During the challenge month we were more conscious of our resource usage and carbon footprints so we made some changes to our electricity usage. Since the weather is fantastic in the Ozark Mountains during October, we turned the AC off and just opened the windows for almost the whole month. Our electricity bill dropped from $55 to $28.” —Greatful Deadheaders, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
- "To say that I learned a lot this month is not even the tip of the iceberg. In some very important ways, I’ve transformed. I’ve started looking deliberately at my actions, and noting ways in which I can be the change, even if it will take time and sacrifices." —Reilly, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio
- "The whole experience as a PGC participant made me do things that I had never done before in my life. For example, I managed to conduct a great interview with the owner of a sustainable restaurant, even though I was so nervous I thought could faint. I had great conversations with farmers discussing the importance of sustainable agriculture. I excluded 95 percent of meat from my diet and as a result discovered new food, like lentils, which are a great source of protein." —Valeria, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- "Before PGC, I didn’t think there was anything else I could do to make my lifestyle more environmentally friendly. Boy was I wrong! I now know that I can save the environment by choosing specific cleaning products, cosmetics, foods, clothing, furniture, etc. As I have completed the PGC challenges and started doing things differently in more sustainable ways, people have also started to notice and ask questions. I now have the knowledge and confidence I need to answer these questions and further promote positive lifestyle changes!" —Tracey, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
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When I learned about climate change for the first time in middle school I was stunned; stunned that I hadn’t found out before, that this wasn’t something my parents talked about every day. The atmosphere might heat up to to the point that the earth would become uninhabitable? I could not comprehend why everyone in society wasn’t running around scheming of ways to ensure our survival on this planet.
And what would this mean for my home on the outskirts of Austin, Texas? Already, our well water had run out one summer. We went for quite a while without being able to shower or flush the toilet until we had the money to get the well dug a little deeper to reach the aquifer below. I wondered what a hotter planet would mean for our water system: how many more times would we need to dig deeper? How could a summer even hotter than our already scorching days, hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, be habitable?
I tried to think about what I could do to minimize the harm I caused personally through my carbon footprint. I tried to save every page I was handed in school to write my notes on the backs. I recycled and composted obsessively, and wondered whether I could save water by hand washing clothes or energy by line drying. I would cringe every time we sat in traffic, imagining all the tiny particles of carbon our car was coughing out into the atmosphere, slowly eroding the chances of future generations to experience the lushness of a dewy, green spring.
Yet ultimately, the task at hand felt impossible. I lived thirty minutes outside Austin in an area where public transportation does not exist. My family did not have the money to live in the city, so this meant driving twenty minutes to school every day and that there was no way for me to reduce these emissions. The lack of public transportation in Texas simply does not allow most citizens to live in a way that could be considered “environmentally conscious.”
Gradually I realized—our highways and suburbs were never meant to be compatible with a sustainable future. The system was designed to necessitate fossil fuel dependence. It is no coincidence that Exxon has been cowering under climate denialism for decades for the sake of rogue profit. Exxon’s thirty year long campaign to spread doubt about basic climate science has undermined efforts to prevent runaway climate change and has cost millions of lives. Those hit the hardest by climate disaster are communities of color, communities of low economic status, women and young people. Fossil fuel companies stand to gain the most by stifling the stories of those in the Global South whose resources they exploit, whose water and air they poison, and whose lives the media outlets might fail to mourn when they are swept away by every-intensifying natural disasters. It will take all of us, fighting together and demanding a just and sustainable transition, to turn the tides on environmental racism and the devaluing of black, brown and immigrant lives.
When I got to college, I joined Swarthmore Mountain Justice, the on-campus group campaigning for divestment. For the first time, I feel that I have power in my hands to effect change. For so long, I worried that the things I could do on my own to combat climate change were not enough, but I have seen incredible progress in the work we have done as a collective. Together we can leverage formidable power. Joining together with other students, we will demand the systemic and institutional changes from our leaders we need to ensure a sustainable future. We will demand a just transition away from environmental racism, and an end to the laws that tear families apart and reinforce the illusion that we are anything less than a global community.
As young people, we have the right and the power to create the world we would like to see—world which sustains life; a world which does not discriminate, commit violence or value a life less based on race or class, nationality or immigrant status. The need to see these changes come about has never been so urgent, and I have never felt more excited to join with other students, to take to the streets and demand that politicians take real leadership on the critical issues of our generation.
If that’s a vision you want to be part of, sign up to join the action on Nov. 9th in Washington, DC.
This blog post was written by Sophia Zaia, a student organizer with Swarthmore Mountain Justice, on why she’s joining the Our Generation, Our Choice mobilization.
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