Interview: CMU Sustainable Earth

CMU Sustainable Earth is Carnegie Mellon University's primary student sustainability organization. We chatted with President Jenna Stanislaw (Biological Sciences, '22), External Events Chair Claire Chiang (Biological Sciences, '23), and Community Outreach Chair Katie Hart (Environmental Engineering/Engineering and Public Policy, '24). 

What is the mission of CMU Sustainable Earth?

Jenna: CMU Sustainable Earth is CMU's primary student sustainability organization. We do a lot of different things, including educational events on campus. We have an advocacy group that's worked with Housing and Dining and with the CMU environmental steering committee. We also have a tech group that has worked on an app related to on-campus sustainability. We've also been trying recently to branch out and get involved with the Pittsburgh community, so we’re not just CMU focused.

Claire: Our main mission is simply to encourage Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh community to actively practice ways of living sustainably. This past semester we have been emphasizing the local impact we can have in Pittsburgh and the intersectionality of sustainability.

What motivated each of you to join?

Claire: It's CMU's only environmental organization, and it's also really a lot of fun to work with students who have the same interests as you. I feel like you really build upon each other. I feel like I’ve become a better person based on the people I've worked with in Sustainable Earth.

Katie: I knew I wanted to be involved in some sort of sustainability thing on campus. This is my freshman year, so I just joined in the fall. I was immediately interested in Sustainable Earth...it's been really cool—I feel like we’re able to make an impact, and the people I’ve met are all really passionate about sustainability.

Jenna: Part of why I got involved is my major doesn’t necessarily lend itself to sustainability. I wanted to find a club I could get involved with that had that aspect, even if what I was studying didn't connect those things, and I stuck around because I enjoyed the community. Being part of the group makes you think about your impact and what you can do better. 

Can you talk about some of the campaigns and initiatives you’re currently working on?

Jenna: We have a tech group that's been working on developing an app. They got some funding for that through IMPACT CMU. Katie's actually involved in that, so she could explain it better.

Katie: Sure! We're hoping to encourage sustainable actions by CMU students, so you can log different things you do, like using a reusable water bottle or composting. Every action is associated with a carbon offset. It’s like a competition between you and friends to see the impact of your actions. The idea is to encourage sustainability by students. 

Jenna: Our advocacy group recently started a divestment from fossil fuels campaign, which is in the early stages, so we're working on getting publicity for that.

We also do a bunch of events throughout the year. A recurring one is called Environmenstrual, which happens in the second week of October and is about sustainable period products and period poverty. We've been doing that for a couple of years with another organization, Feminists Engaged in Multicultural Matters (FEMME). That was the first thing I worked on with the club as a freshman. Hopefully this coming year we'll be able to do it in person.

Claire: We also do a collaboration with the Carlow University Laboratory School. We work with 4th and 5th graders and their teacher, Christine Salvi, doing workshops with the students which align with the topics they're learning in class. We started with the carbon cycle and finished the year helping them prepare for their Invention Convention, which is an outdoor gallery where each student presents the invention that they created. Families and friends are all invited to walk around and visit each student's invention to hear what each student has to say about the problem they solved and their invention process. We help them consider sustainability, using sustainable materials in planning and the impact of their inventions.

Jenna: Another favorite project is our research project. We’re starting to look into CMU’s impact on and connection with the Pittsburgh community from a traditional sustainability standpoint and sustainability as an intersectional concept—environmental justice issues, clean water, and CMU's impact in terms of research.

I wanted to find a club...that [focused on sustainability]...and I stuck around because I enjoyed the community. Being part of the group makes you think about your impact and what you can do better. 

What’s your favorite thing about being part of Sustainable Earth?

Jenna: For me I definitely think it's the people, just the number of people who are so passionate and always willing to get involved. It's really nice to work with such passionate group of people who really care about doing things properly and thinking about the impact of what they do, asking themselves why it's important and if we can make a more net positive impact. For me as a freshman it was nice to meet people in college who were like that.

Claire: I was going to say the same thing. The people as well. I feel like I've connected with a lot of people outside of my major and my class. It's nice to connect with people who have the same interests as me.

Katie: I have to echo what Claire and Jen are saying. Everyone is super passionate. Even this year on Zoom we had some really cool conversations about environmental justice. I've learned a lot from everyone.

What are some challenges your group faces?

Jenna: With COVID, it's been difficult to find times when everyone is available....We haven't been able to have frequent large meetings as often this year. The community has been more disbursed and broken up, so I think that's the COVID side.

On the other side, we're trying to focus on divestment from fossil fuels, and asking for divestment is challenging. We also want to establish a sustainability committee.

Claire: Going off that, since we're the only environmental organization on campus, I feel like we have a lot of pressure, because there's so much to do and cover. Sometimes it's a little difficult to get into all the issues we care about.

What have you learned from being part of CMU Sustainable Earth?

Jenna: When I joined, to me, sustainability was about caring about the environment, recycling, not being wasteful. Being part of the club has taught me so much about the intersectionality of sustainability. It's political. So many environmentalists want to be apolitical, but you can't be. There need to be policies to make large companies make sustainable choices. I've learned a lot about how sustainability is ingrained in everything. It's been super eye opening and it's been something we've been trying to emphasize more as a club by discussing it more broadly and educating people in the club.

Claire: Going off what Jenna said—I also feel the same way, and I feel like Sustainable Earth has brought out a different side of me. I used to be very quiet and afraid to use my voice, but coming to Sustainable Earth, you learn how to advocate and use your voice. I've learned about a more activist side of myself, and having the support of people who have the same interests has really pushed me to be comfortable with that.

Katie: On the advocacy side, I've learned a lot about advocating to the administration. It's been really interesting to me, seeing more how that works and how it can be difficult. CMU does really cool things for sustainability, but that can overshadow the things we need to keep working on. 

I feel like Sustainable Earth has brought out a different side of me. I used to be very quiet and afraid to use my voice, but coming to Sustainable Earth, you learn how to advocate and use your voice. I've learned about a more activist side of myself, and having the support of people who have the same interests has really pushed me to be comfortable with that.

What's one thing you really want people to know about CMU Sustainable Earth?

Claire: It's okay to not be perfect. A lot of people think your lifestyle must be perfectly sustainable, that you need to be vegan, for example, but everyone is imperfect and we all just do what we can realistically and what we're comfortable doing. We advocate for sustainability but we're not perfectly sustainable people.

Where can people find you and how can they get involved?

Claire: The quickest way to get updated on our events is to check out our Instagram/Facebook or to join the email list. Anyone is also welcome to DM or message us at any time for any questions or other ways to get involved!

• Email: sustainableearth.cmu@gmail.com
• Instagram: @cmu.sustainableearth
• Facebook: @cmusustainableearth
• Join our email list: tinyurl.com/SEemails
• Slack: tinyurl.com/SEnewSlack