5 Unconventional, Sustainable Things to Keep “Earth Month” Going After April

Every day is Earth Day, so every month can be earth month! (Written by BASSP student Carter J).

Happy Earth Month! 🌎💚 (Just a post for the last day of April!)
We hope you enjoyed the Spring weather and the Earth Month activities available on campus.  Following in the spirit of Earth Month, we’d like to try and inspire you to incorporate at least one of these easy eco-friendly habits into your regular life choices.

Many people aspire to live greener, cleaner lives to mitigate the many ecological challenges we currently face today. However, figuring out where to begin can be daunting, and many suggestions provided on lists like this aren’t accessible for everyone. So we’ve compiled a short list of uncommon sustainable choices requiring little time, effort, or money. Each of these items are small, simple changes that you can make to help support the Earth, while also benefiting you. 

Without further ado, here are 5 sustainable life choices that you won’t find on other lists:

1.       Get thrifty 🛍️

Looking to spice up your wardrobe for Spring and Summer? Check out your local thrift stores!

Obtained from Instagram @heavydutyvintage, photo taken at Bon Voyage Vintage

Not only will you discover durable pieces with character that you won’t find anywhere else, but you’ll also likely snag them at budget-friendly prices. By choosing thrifted fashion, you’re making a conscious eco-friendly choice. You’re reducing textile waste and curbing the demand for new clothing production. This means fewer resources are used and less strain is put on our planet. Plus, when you opt for second-hand, it sends a clear message to clothing companies to produce only what’s truly wanted and needed, rather than overstocking on fast fashion.
Thrifting is a thrilling adventure of unpredictability – you never know what surprises you’ll find! Plus, we’re doing Free Markets of Thrifting on campus – we had 2 over the Earth Month events, and will be hosting more for Spring Fest and Dorms Move out. Come bring any spring cleaning donations to the LBA, or find one of the on campus bins!

2.       Chaos gardening 🌱

Not all gardening has to be a high maintenance endeavor. Especially if you plant local species that are already adapted to live in the area without human assistance. 

Obtained from iStock.

Chaos gardening and guerilla gardening techniques have been on the rise lately. The main idea behind these practices is to just throw some seeds somewhere that gets sun and water and wait to see what sprouts! You can try this for yourself by buying some seeds and just tossing them around in a barren patch of dirt or grass to see what magic happens. Just remember to prioritize native species to support local pollinators, biodiversity, and our ecosystems. Be doubly sure to steer clear of invasive pests like these Class A, B, and C noxious weeds!

3.       Don’t wash that yet! 🧺

Hopefully, this doesn’t give you too much of an ick, because I’ll let you in on a little secret.

Obtained from iStock.

If your clothes don’t look, smell, or feel dirty, they’re still fine to wear! If you’re the type to toss a shirt into the laundry basket after wearing it just once, this tip is tailor-made for you. Instead of immediately washing your clothes, consider wearing them for an extra day or two before laundering. This simple change not only extends the lifespan of your garments but also conserves water and reduces detergent use in the long term.

Of course, some items like underwear, socks, and workout gear are best washed after each wear for hygiene reasons. Yet, certain items, like jeans, can easily go several days, and sometimes even weeks without needing a wash. Embrace the ‘wash as needed’ approach to keep your clothes looking fresh while saving time, water, and energy!

Bonus Tip: You can increase the lifespan of your clothes even more by washing them in cool water! 

4.       Carpool Commander 🚗

We’ve all been told to try carpooling, but that’s a lot easier said than done. It’s especially hard to even broach the topic when you have no idea where your colleagues live or what type of transportation they use regularly.

Obtained from @Tanxmir on Pinterest.

Well here’s a tip to help you take charge! You can start by setting up a carpool sign-up sheet for your coworkers and classmates. This simple initiative can serve as a catalyst for organizing carpools and fostering eco-friendly commuting habits. Just pop on to Google to find templates for these sign-up sheets and post one somewhere visible to make it convenient for everyone to participate! Even if you don’t find the perfect carpool partner right away, your efforts can still make a difference by reducing gas emissions and cutting costs for those around you.

Additionally, consider exploring alternative public transit options such as Vanpooling or Vansharing. These services offer additional flexibility and convenience for commuters seeking sustainable transportation solutions.

Furthermore, don’t overlook the wealth of online platforms dedicated to facilitating carpool coordination. These websites provide efficient tools for organizing rideshares and connecting with potential carpool partners.

5.       Relax with your roots 🌲

The last item on our list is really quick and easy so you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO DO IT.

Obtained from iStock.

Now that we’re finally getting some warm weather, it’s the perfect time to get outside and experience the natural parts of the world. It doesn’t really matter what you do while you’re outside, just get out there and enjoy the sun (or the rain!), smell the flowers, and relax! 

Doing homework in the grass, taking a nap, or reading books under a tree are all perfect activities to accompany a relaxing afternoon in the sun. You could also learn the names of your local rivers, creeks, or forests, or, you could try identifying a plant or animal that you’re curious about! You could even take pictures and post your favorites to Instagram, just make sure you tag us @sustainabilityatcascadia!

In the end, as long as you get some time outdoors, chances are you’ll experience a significant boost in your mental health.

Remember too, sustainability is for everyone! We hope you enjoyed these different ideas, and if you’d like to find a career pathway in this field, come check out our Bachelors of Applied Science in Sustainable Practices, and our new Water Resource Management AAS-T program!

Turning Concern Into Action – A Winter Internship with Sustainability Ambassadors

by ETSP student Clare Chapple
 
During the pandemic, when time slowed down, I decided to continue my education to address my growing concern for the deteriorating health of our planet. I wanted to turn my concern into action. I enrolled in Cascadia College’s Environmental Technologies and Sustainable Practices program in the fall of 2020, and embraced my role as a “lifelong learner.” I took classes in Sustainability Practices, Energy Systems, Power Generation, Wetland Ecology, Wetland Conservation, Environmental Ethics, Project Management, and more. I was decades older than most of the students, but the integrated learning model at Cascadia ensured that I felt like part of a team working toward a common goal.

After the Fall Quarter of 2023, my coursework was completed for the Associate in Applied Science degree. I had learned so much and was ready to see how I could put that knowledge to work supporting another organization. With the help of my advisor, I was able to establish an internship opportunity at Sustainability Ambassadors – a local organization that supports middle and high school students by helping them develop personal climate impact projects and larger community campaigns that are aligned with their city’s climate action plans. Sustainability Ambassadors also creates lesson plans and learning opportunities for teachers to integrate current environmental issues (with a local perspective) into their existing curriculum.

This January, I was introduced to the team and was so impressed with their knowledge and enthusiasm! I was excited by how quickly they included me (and the other interns – one from WWU and one from UW Seattle) in the decision-making and daily actions that needed to happen to support the work.

On week one, I was sitting in a training with 20 teachers from around the Puget Sound Region. We were learning directly from a Water Demand Economic Analyst from Cascade Water Alliance about snowpack in the mountains and the effect that its dwindling presence would have on the region’s water supply. On this typically cold Saturday morning in January, the group of teachers spent three hours of their treasured free time learning how to weave these very timely issues into their curriculum.

The following week, I shadowed Jenna, the Communications Coordinator, while she conducted video interviews with two industry leaders, and I was later entrusted with the task of interviewing other professionals via Zoom about their pathways to their careers in order to build out our Green Jobs Youth Pathways video resources. Students and teachers access these videos via the Sustainability Ambassadors website to find inspiration about possible career paths. I interviewed architects and business analysts in organizations committed to sustainability. I learned how to edit these videos – adding title slides, transitions, and audio – thanks to Jenna for her guidance and clear direction while I learned this new skill! The biggest takeaway from these conversations with the green jobs professionals was to stay curious, follow your heart, and keep trying new things. The right path seems to unfold for all of us if we are clear about our goals and intentions.

In the weeks that followed, I attended meetings with student scholars who were developing inspiring impact projects – such as Kirkland’s Transit Group – these students are focused on increasing bus ridership through engagement and storytelling. Sustainability Ambassadors was able to connect this group of students with the Transportation Program Coordinator for the City of Kirkland, who is now a committed partner for their cause – offering them support and feedback and sharing their message with the broader community.

In the final weeks of the quarter, I’m helping to create a case study describing the success of UW Bothell/Cascadia College’s North Creek Wetland Restoration Project, which will be included in a larger lesson plan for middle and high school teachers in WRIA 8, which is an area that encompasses the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watersheds. This area is a crucial migratory corridor for chinook, coho, sockeye, kokanee salmon, and steelhead trout. The wetland on our campus serves as a living laboratory for professors, students, and even government agencies who are looking for frameworks to emulate in other restoration projects. The Sustainability Ambassadors case study that we provide to teachers in the area will be a useful tool for them to share with their middle and high school students.

I feel honored to have been able to participate in the efforts of this small group of highly committed individuals turning their concern into action by supporting the youth in our region. The work they are doing is crucial to rapidly advancing a sustainable future!

While the Environmental Technology and Sustainable Practices program is no longer available to students at Cascadia, the college is starting a new associate level Water Management program, and has our successful Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Practices, for those with an associate level equivalent or higher! Look for more information here on those programs, or at www.cascadia.edu

Donations, Sustainable Events, and Climate Stories Day

So much going on this February, we’re excited to share it all with you! There’s of course Black History Month, and the Diversity Center and Sustainability Club are hosting a film showing on February 28th, and we have Climate Stories Day! ”Chrisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed”, a documentary about her 1972 presidential campaign.

Did you also know that it’s National Canned Food Month – check out the food drive and awesome blog by the Kodiak Cave below! This link should take you right to all their information, we’re excited to help feature their efforts! They have various donations boxes across campus, and the food will be distributed to students in need through the Kodiak Cave!

February is National Canned Food Month!

The Sustainability Office is also hosting a second donation drive – to support our unhoused neighbors. We’re looking to take donations in similar boxes to the canned food drive, and connecting these items to a community partner, Compass housing alliance! 

Finally, both sustainability offices are extremely excited to help host Climate Stories Day – in partnership with the library community reads team on February 20^th!

Community Reads is thrilled to host Lindsey Brodeck, the author of the short story “Afterglow,” for a visioning event launching our Climate Fiction Writing Awards. Lindsey will be giving a short presentation about her own writing process and climate fiction, and then will be available to answer some questions and moderate a community brainstorming session for our own campus visionary fiction writing. This event will be at 11am-12pm, in Mobius Hall.

At 5:30-7:00pm also in Mobius Hall, join us for an evening with Madeline Ostrander, author of ‘At Home on an Unruly Planet’.  The book covers climate change impacts on American families currently, ongoing, and in the recent past.  It talks about adaptation, survival, and managing the climate crisis—something that is vitally important as we move forwards with sustainability and justice.  The event will host local climate action groups, the City of Bothell for a resilience visioning activity, a time for book signings, and refreshments. 

We hope you can join us for any and all of these events! Have a sustainable February! 

Recycled Art – Non-recyclable Plastics

This series of blogs features guest student author Devon G on his recycled art project, featured in Mobius Gallery in Spring of 2023. Join us here for this final article in the series of thoughts and considerations on art, community, and society, and how they impact and are affected by sustainable practices – through non-recyclable plastics! 

With confusion around plastic recycling, another motivation for my capstone project was aiming to find a temporary solution for plastics that are typically not accepted at recycling plants. Plastics with Nos. 3-7 on the bottom are less likely to be taken at recycling facilities throughout the United States. If these plastics are not accepted and end up in a recycling bin, they get sent to landfills. This is also similar for a lot of PLA’s – plant-based plastics – and plastics that are too small to be recovered in the sorting process [1]. These plastics that make into our landfills, oceans, rivers, and so forth, and pose a threat to our environment, animals, and us. These plastics pollute our waterways, get mistaken as food by animals, break down into microplastics (which poses threats we have yet to fully uncover), and so on [1]. 

These pieces were painted on large plexiglas plastics – which are not recyclable.

By using plastics that are generally not recycled, in the creation of art pieces, people can find a temporary solution for keeping non-recyclable plastics out of our waterways and oceans. More education on what plastics are accepted in an individual’s county/processing service are needed, but this is a fun way to encourage people to learn about their local recycling inputs, while also making art and contributing to less harmful waste in our waters. Eventually, it is possible for this art to take off, with styles emerging, and plastics becoming recognized for their art potential, resulting in less plastic polluting our water. This would be a temporary solution until plastic recycling is advanced, and or different packaging materials become the norm, or we find more ways in daily life to use less single-use plastics. While I recognize this is idealistic, I do believe there is potential showing this message by making art with current-day, non-recyclable plastics.  Read the next blog in this series to consider more about reducing consumption and use of single use plastics!

These pieces were painted on large plexiglas plastics – which are not recyclable. These were submitted by Chris Gildow’s class!

Citations:

1. Frost, K., & Goodman, A. (2023, March 29). The inconvenient consequences of a culture of convenience. ASU News. https://news.asu.edu/20181003-solutions-asu-researchers-plastics-pollution-recycling

Recycled Art – Over Consumption

This series of blogs features guest student author and BASSP student Devon G on his recycled art project, featured in Mobius Gallery in Spring of 2023. Join us here for this series of thoughts and considerations on art, community, and society, and how they impact and are affected by sustainable practices – by considering overconsumption and making unused items into art!

When looking at the United States’ consumption patterns, it is clear that we consume more than we likely should. Our capitalist economy encourages this behavior, through constant advertising, sales, and the next “best” thing. This leads to many of us owning more than we will ever likely need. Overconsumption is seen in our food purchasing, energy usage, clothes/goods purchasing, and so forth. This takes a toll on the environment and ourselves [1]. With art in mind, I believe many Americans can repurpose and or upcycle their excess items into something great. If these items are in working order, they should be donated or given to someone that needs them, but if they are broken and or unwanted, there is potential in repurposing them into art, or donating them to someone that has plans to.

Devon in the art gallery exhibit!

This concept is reflected in the Japanese practice of Kintsugi, which takes broken pottery and repairs it through the use of lacquer and/or powdered silver, gold, or platinum. This technique embraces the idea that items are prone to breaking, and rather than hiding it, Kintsugi highlights the imperfections of the broken pottery. Kintsugi explores the ideas of loss and rebirth, while repurposing an item that would otherwise be deemed a throwaway item [2]. Conversely, there is also merit in living with more of a minimalistic approach to our lives. While the saying can be cliché, less is more. Studies have shown that a minimalistic approach to consumption can lower stress and anxiety levels, save mental energy, increase introspection and reflection time, and a myriad of other positive benefits [3]. A minimalistic approach can make it easier to get rid of items taking up space, while also encouraging people to think about their household items and consumption habits in a different light. This promotes a repurposing mindset and may result in less overconsumption, and fewer values attached to material items. 

Recycled Glass made into Art!

See some of Devon’s and others’ recycled art in the first blog of this series. https://cascadiaupdates.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/recycled-art-inspiration/

Citations:

1. Wiedmann, T., Lenzen, M., Keyßer, L. T., & Steinberger, J. K. (2020). Scientists’ warning on affluence. Nature communications, 11(1), 3107. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16941-y

2.Deng, C. (2023, Nov 23). kintsugi. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/kintsugi-ceramics

3.Jain, V. K., Gupta, A., & Verma, H. (2023). Goodbye materialism: exploring antecedents of minimalism and its impact on millennials well-being. Environment, development and sustainability, 1–27. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03437-0

Recycled Art – AI Artists…

This series of blogs features guest student author Devon G on his recycled art project, featured in Mobius Gallery in Spring of 2023. All the opinions and statements are his own. Join us here for this series of thoughts and considerations on art, community, and society, and how they impact and are affected by sustainable practices – through AI art discussion! 

Another motivator for my capstone project was the recent interest and shift towards corporations/companies using AI art in their promotional pieces and entertainment. This is becoming more common practice, and is concerning for the future of job security in art/entertainment, as well as a plethora of other unrelated sectors/industries. With mega corporations such as Disney – which pride themselves on their art/creations – using AI tools to craft their promotional pieces and parts of their show sets a standard for other corporations, businesses, people, etc. This standard encourages and normalizes the use of AI tools for work previously done by a human, trained in their expertise. 

Corporations utilizing AI instead of specialized workers paints the picture that this is the new “normal”, and that the use of AI should be accepted in the art-space. This is risky behavior, especially from corporations with massive budgets that could very well pay the artists for promotional work, and have done so in the past. Not only does the use of AI art take the livelihoods of artists, but in most cases, its datasets and learning is based on the work of millions of artists, without their consent – creating an IP and copyright can of worms. With AI models learning from millions of pieces of art, corporations using AI programs to generate their art are possibly committing copyright infringement [1]. This creates an ethical, moral, and legal dilemma – all in the name of saving money. Ironically, the legal fees associated with settling lawsuits and settlements could cost more than the savings achieved from utilizing AI art. 

If there is any time for the creation of human art, now is the time to encourage it. With AI art being normalized and encouraged, even for people that are not artists, now is an appropriate time to focus on human art and the people behind it. AI art will likely never be able to truly capture the nuances and characteristics of human art, this is advantageous for artists and society.
Human concepts and new artistic designs cannot be created by AI art currently, as it mainly re-uses and changes existing pieces in its creation. More must be done in terms of laws and regulations surrounding AI and copyright infringement, as well as job protection for artists and other careers potentially impacted/replaced by AI – this was in part the cause of the recent strikes from actors, writers, and more. 

Sustainability vs. AI Art

AI art also relies upon a large amount of electricity and server farms to operate, with cooling and other required infrastructure, all needing electricity and energy to run. While there is no specific data surrounding AI art and the energy requirements(as AI art is relatively novel), expected energy requirements for AI servers and infrastructure could match some heavily-populated European countries [2]. AI computation and its requirements has the potential to take-over cryptocurrencies in terms of emissions generated through use of these services. Opposition of AI art can be endorsed by supporting artists and human-made art, creating your own art, opposing media made with AI, and contacting your congressional representative with your concerns on the implications of AI and AI art. 

Citations:

1. CAIR. (2023, May 2). Ai open letter – cair. Artistic Inquiry. https://artisticinquiry.org/AI-Open-Letter
2. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023, October 10). A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/climate/ai-could-soon-need-as-much-electricity-as-an-entire-country.html

New Plastic Bag and Film Recycling on Campus!

Welcome to a new Waste Ambassadors waste management program! We in the joint Cascadia/UWB sustainability offices are introducing a Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Challenge for 2024!

Challenge details

The challenge is to collect 1,000 pounds of bags and film and divert them from the landfill. The Sustainability team will track weights, and work with the Woodinville Haggen for recycling. If we reach the goal, campus can earn a free bench made from post-consumer plastics! We’re hoping to get this amount/weight throughout 2024 entirely – and have a community partner in NexTrex to increase this hard to recycle material! Remember – do NOT place plastic bags, film, or packing materials (and tape!) in regular recycle bins! Also, please do not put in any plastic foams blocks. We sadly cannot take those in these bins – but do message us if you have larger styrofoam blocks!

We’re putting this out into the community, as we also know that many grocery locations, where people generally bring soft plastics or bags, so we’re working to have several of the soft plastic recycling locations in public places. In addition to specialty recycling already available – we are happy to be a hub for the community to drop off various items. For instance, every month or so – there’s hazardous waste drop off event on campus – the next one should be in February. 

Materials accepted for recycling

Plastic bags: includes grocery bags, bread bags, ice bags, produce bags, dry cleaning bags
Product wraps: includes the plastic around paper towels, electronic wrap, the plastic wrapped around cases of water bottles
Shipping material: includes plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, air cushions, pallet wraps

Drop off bin locations

• CC1-341- lunch room, next to the shred bin
• CC1-154 – Student Learning Office workroom
• CC2- Information Services Office Help Desk (on 1st floor)
• CC3-326 – Workroom on the 3rd floor
• ARC-ILO – right by the entrance doors on the right
• INV- 2nd Floor Innovation Hall, by the specialty recycling bin (batteries and E-waste!)
• The Collaboratory in Discovery Hall
• 2^nd floor of Innovation Hall (next to the green e-waste collection bin)
• Break room in Husky Hall

We’re excited to share that our partners at UWB IT, Cascadia IS, the mail rooms, Gold Brew, campus facilities, and the ARC are internally collecting their plastics for this challenge with us! 

Important reminders

• Please try to re-use your materials whenever possible. Recycling is a last resort!
• Plastic should be clean – please avoid food waste or too much tape
• Don’t know if it can be recycled – just grab it and pull, make sure it can stretch a bit. If so, it’s good to bring to these bins!

Recycled Art – Inspiration

This series of blogs features guest student author Devon G on his recycled art project, featured in Mobius Gallery in Spring of 2023. Join us here for this series of thoughts and considerations on art, community, and society, and how they impact and are affected by sustainable practices – through recycled art! 

The main inspiration for my recycled art capstone project was a documentary we viewed in one of our classes in the Bachelor’s program in Sustainable Practices, with professor Soraya Cardenas. The name of the documentary is called Waste Land, which follows the Brazilian artist, Vik Muniz. Earlier in Muniz’s career, Muniz would work on a piece called Sugar Children, which involved photographs taken of children on a Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Upon viewing the photographs, Muniz wondered why the children photographed seemed so happy, while the adults were the opposite. Muniz realized it was the 16-hour work shifts on sugar farms that changed the adult’s moods. In other words, the sweetness was taken out of them over time, due to intense, grueling work. He realized he could use sugar to recreate those photographs, symbolizing the value of these materials and resources, while also using a medium not commonly seen in the art-world. These art pieces went on to transform Muniz’s career. The act of using sugar as an unconventional medium for art blossomed into using trash for art pieces. 

Muniz’s plan was to spend two years at one of the world’s largest garbage dumps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, looking to explore the vastness of classicism rooted in the country; to learn from the locals and workers in the area, trying to find the intentions and plans behind his upcoming pieces. Upon meeting the catadores (garbage pickers), Muniz was amazed by the spirits of these workers in unfavorable working conditions. Their spirits shifted Muniz’s plans into a collaborative effort between the catadores and Muniz. Muniz took photographs of the catadores, projected them onto a warehouse floor, and constructed the portraits using recyclables and trash collected from the trash dump. This inspired me to explore using trash/recyclable materials as a medium for art [1].  

With an art medium that is not commonly used, but found everywhere, creativity and improvisation are necessary. In my experience, using trash and recyclable materials in art was a fresh undertaking. Going through the process reminded me of how much waste is generated on a daily basis, even for one household. Additionally, it raised questions around our current consumption habits, packaging amounts, future use of packaging materials, and so forth. 

Art can show us the hardships and beauties present in our society. Furthermore, it can show us the intricacies and inner workings of the minds’ of artists. In exhibits and pieces like Muniz’s work, people can see workers such as catadores in a new light, and with a new level of respect, while also re-imagining art in a fresh, new way, with infinite possibilities. So below are some images from my capstone project art show in Spring 2023 in the Mobius Gallery, showcasing various artists’ art from recycled materials!

Citations:

1. Almega Projects. (2011). Waste land. 

Student Internship: Reconnect Earth 2023

written by BASSP student Morgan McShea

This summer, I was fortunate to attend the “Mountain Glaciers and Meadows” backpacking trip with Reconnect Earth, an organization focused on environmental justice, connection with the natural world, and grassroots movement building. This trip was unique for the organization, in that it was their first trip for women and non-binary participants exclusively. I truly appreciated that they centered folks who are not cis-males, as backpacking and similar outdoor ventures can often be male-dominated and intimidating or uninviting.

The four-day, three-night excursion, would be my longest backpacking trip, and a wonderful opportunity to both learn from experienced backpackers and alongside new and first-time backpackers. In advance of the trip, Nick Engelfried, the founder of Reconnect Earth, called each participant to ensure that they had all the necessary supplies for the trip, and to coordinate any items that needed to be borrowed from the organization from sleeping bags to hiking boots, to rain pants. They also provided transportation to the trailhead and provided food and water filtration for the entire trip. These accommodations helped to remove many of the barriers that prevent individuals from attempting backpacking, and certainly attempting a multi-night trip.

The trip began at Park Butte Trailhead, where shared items- tents, bear cans, and other supplies were distributed and folks who needed them were outfitted with borrowed packs and other gear. We then set off on a hike to Mazama Park. With heavy packs, the hike was hard, but rewarding and beautiful. The supportive group made it a point to stay together, to keep a comfortable pace, and to take breaks often to ensure a safe journey for all. This would be a theme of the entire trip- compassion, solidarity, and egalitarianism.

When we reached camp, we picked sites and set up our tents. This process too involved collaboration and teamwork, particularly figuring out a trekking pole-supported tent that none of us had experience erecting. Meals were cooked together, and we were assigned shifts for cooking, cleaning, and grabbing water to filter from the creek. Each night after dinner, three people would have the “spotlight” and be given a chance to answer the prompt “what brought you here?”. These conversations, particularly when in the beauty of nature, in the comfort of the group, and far from cellular reception produced some beautiful insights around ecological identity and our roles individually and collectively to shape the environment and our future.

Each day involved hikes with group activities and discussions in between. Sitting in awe of Kulshan (Mt. Baker), as well as gorgeous lakes and flowered meadows, we learned about the history and struggles of indigenous peoples, discussed strategies for activism, and found power in our ability to enact change. I found inspiration in my fellow backpackers and was grateful for the exposure to new and various perspectives that enriched my understanding around environmental justice, conservation, and what it means to be connected to the earth. I cannot speak highly enough of this experience in both the technical skills and knowledge gained as well as the environmental education and the fact that I walked away with a community of new and inspiring friends.

BASSP alumni feature: Chelsea Flood

editor’s note: This article was scheduled to post in March 2020, and the hope was the feature Chelsea and her amazing work with Recology back then. But with the pandemic, and people changing jobs, Chelsea moved on from Recology. However, other BASSP graduates and students now work at Recology, and Chelsea’s interview is an fantastic example of what kind of work graduates of our bachelor’s program in sustainable practices can accomplish, and beyond. We hope you can still enjoy her interview from back then!

What are you doing now that you’ve graduated from the BASSP Program?
I’ve been working as a Retail Associate and then a Lead Retail Associate at The Recology Stores since 2018. Recology is the largest employee-owned environmental services company committed to reducing waste by commodifying recyclables as much as possible.

What are your main responsibilities in your role? Does your work tie into sustainability?
My main responsibility is managing store operations which includes the intake of at least 11 types of hard-to-recycle items, providing customer service to Recology customers, educating the public on what goes where and offering products designed to reduce waste. Recology’s mission is zero waste which means we’re very focused on putting resources to their highest use which is one of many ways to create a sustainable world!

What do you do on a day to day basis in your position?
Each day can be very different! I might be helping customers recycle the hard-to-recycle items like styrofoam, batteries and electronics; make changes to their account, like getting a bigger yard waste bin or smaller garbage; consult with them about which of our products could reduce waste in their life; research new products or recycling resources; or merchandise the store to bring in new customers and feature our products.

What do you enjoy about your position?
There are many enjoyable aspects to my job. Generally, I love creating a positive customer experience for our varied demographic where I can plant the seed of sustainability in a way that applies to that individual’s life, whether that’s helping them find ways to reuse, donate, upcycle or recycle anything and everything, educate them about why our products and services are beneficial, or provide the space to simply listen and relate to their personal journey in sustainability and living a zero waste lifestyle.

What was your best experience/memory in the BASSP program?
I am the first in my family to pursue a bachelor’s degree and I felt a lot of pressure to do a good job so that my siblings knew that anything is possible. I also struggle with depression and I chose to be open about it so I could manage my expectations realistically. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for the teachers, students and faculty that took the time and energy to support me through the program to where I could not only succeed, but really thrive. The whole experience was invaluable to me. Thank you.

Did your experience in the BASSP program help you get this position?
Absolutely. Recology was always on my radar because I love their mission but in this case, networking was the catalyst. My fellow classmate 2017 alumni Elena Dashti suggested I apply to the Retail Associate position and put in a good word for me and that’s what started it all!

Are you using any skills you learned at Cascadia in your current work?
I utilize many of the skills I learned in the program but it’s been primarily soft skills. I work collaboratively on projects in the store and communicate with varying departments, local government and businesses to assist in outreach, education and project development constantly!

Anything you’d tell students interested in the BASSP program?
Dive in! Sustainability is broad since it applies to everything. If you’re not sure what you want to focus or specialize in, try everything you can! The program is a lot of work but is so rewarding when you hone in on your interests and apply every class to developing those. Communicate with your teachers and cohort so you can support each other. Network as much as possible and you will be surprised by how many opportunities come your way. 

Our Bachelor of Applied Science students get real hands on field experience, and opportunities to learn in a variety of interested careers! For more information on BASSP, please go to https://www.cascadia.edu/programs/degrees/bassp.aspx or check out other articles on the main Sustainability page, or our student stories area!