This week's interview is with Lisa Curtis an environmental studies and politics student at Whitman College in Walla Walla Washington. Lisa also interns for Northwest SEED, an organization devoted to establishing a clean, diverse, and affordable Northwest energy system based on the efficient use of renewable resources, and is one of twenty regional representatives working for the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) "Kick
the Carbon Habit" Education Campaign. Continue reading to learn more about the initiatives Lisa is currently working on and the area she thinks has the most potential for growth in the campus sustainability field.
If you are interested in participating in the AASHE Interview Series or wish to nominate someone to participate please email me. To read past interviews, click here.
What is Northwest SEED and what projects are you working on currently?
NW SEED is an organization that works to promote renewable energy in the Northwest by working collaboratively with motivated communities. As a Green Campus Intern for NW
SEED I am working on
my own campus to increase investment and education about renewable energy and energy efficiency. I am currently working on three different projects. The first is to develop lesson plans on resource conservation and teach twenty Whitman students how to deliver these lessons in a three-week series leading up to a kid-friendly Earth Day. I am also working with the two other colleges (
Walla Walla Community College &
Walla Walla University) in the area and a community organizing group to distribute compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) in local lower-income neighborhoods in Walla Walla. Lastly, I’m helping to organize a town hall on renewable energy with our local representative Congresswoman Cathy McMorris.
What is the UNEP's Kick the carbon Habit and how are you involved?
The
Kick the Carbon Habit Education Campaign is a new grassroots effort by the
United Nations Environment Programme to translate some of the climate activism at the university level down to younger generations across North America. Last semester I interned in Washington, D.C. and was in charge of planning our kick-off conference and organizing communication within the network. This semester, I am one of twenty Regional Representatives who is in charge of recruiting students to the campaign. I am in charge of Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
How do your campus sustainability efforts involve the community of Walla Walla, WA?
I try to involve the broader community in everything I do. I firmly believe that if we are truly going to make a difference we need to get off-campus, especially in Walla Walla, where there are lot of people who have very different views than most Whitman students.
In what area(s) do you see the biggest room for growth in the campus sustainability field?
I really think there needs to be more of an international focus. The International Energy Agency estimates that 44 percent of the demand for energy will come from developing countries by 2030. In an age of such globalization and information technology I think we really need to look at how we can apply our unique positions as college students to helping renewable energy projects in the developing world.
How are your sustainability efforts funded?
Whitman’s
Campus Climate Challenge biggest project right now is raising money for the installation of solar panels on a first-year dorm. We applied for grants and then sent letters to alumni asking for donations. In terms of our other events, we receive money from student government.
In what ways are students involved in your work?
Everything I do is student-run and involves fellow students.
