Geetha's UN Insight: Inspiring Sustainable Action

It’s not often that Ishwrya Achuthan Geetha receives an email telling her it’s ok to miss a class—and even more surprising when that email comes from a CMU leader. But when Geetha saw the email subject “Can you miss class on September 18 to join a UN event in NYC?” from Alex Hiniker, director of CMU’s Sustainability Initiative, she knew that this opportunity had to be very important.

The email was the beginning of a whirlwind adventure alongside Geetha’s fellow Sustainability Initiative interns Bethel Endawoke, Aleena Siddiqui, and Camden Johnson. The group quickly prepared to travel to SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Action Weekend in New York City, which took place right before the United Nations General Assembly and the SDG Summit—which reviewed mid-term progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Geetha joined CMU’s Sustainability Initiative as an intern in February 2023. Established by Provost Jim Garrett in 2019, one of the initiative’s goals is to create inclusive sustainability programming that reaches students and the broader university community. Geetha knew that similar work was also taking place at schools and universities across the country. SDG Action Weekend provided a forum for those involved to listen, learn, and discuss action items aimed at keeping their achievements and momentum moving forward. 

During the weekend, Geetha visited UN Headquarters in New York City and toured the facility. She listened to professionals’ insights during a panel discussion consisting of experts from universities and government agencies. Also in attendance—and presenting—were the Governor of Hawaii as well as high school students from the Aloha state. During their presentations, these individuals highlighted the fact that people across the globe are committed to addressing sustainability and diversity issues.

“We, as a part of CMU’s sustainability initiative, are working toward the same goals as schools in different areas of the country,” Geetha adds. “I met so many people, and the one big takeaway was that we are all facing the same challenges.”

Geetha was also inspired by the high school students’ confidence and pride in their work—a feeling she shares as she continues her focus on sustainability studies. “Thanks to my experiences at CEE, I am interested in broadening my Civil Engineering experience beyond construction. Now I’m integrating sustainability, data analysis, machine learning, and data acquisition into the equation.”

In addition to inspiring her classwork, this passion contributes to her internship work at CMU’s Sustainability Initiative. Geetha initially reached out to the initiative when the Sustainability Studio opened in the fall of 2022 but truly became connected when she earned the internship position. “I am interested in the studio’s work—we organize events, host clubs, and talk to students to create awareness about different aspects of sustainability.” 

She emphasizes that sustainability is a bigger movement than the word itself implies—it encompasses a global goal to treat everyone with fairness, kindness, and inclusion. This became all the more apparent during the UN weekend when the interns had the opportunity to meet with UN Academic Impact leader Jayashri Wyatt.