Sustainability - Green Notes

The Office of Sustainability is comprised of mostly student workers. We have a wide array of personalities, interests, and majors in this group. Read below to get to know our student workers!

  Shelby Brewer

Meet Shelby! Shelby is majoring in  Psychology and minoring in Art. She is a  last semester senior and will be  graduating in December! Shelby is over  the office's social media accounts and  website. In addition, she also helps keep track of recycling numbers, plan events, apply for grants/certifications/recognitions, and tries to keep up with the little office duties. Her major, Psychology, ties into many office duties such as marketing, outreach, and office morale. Some hobbies of Shelby's include all forms of art, spending time with her friends, playing soccer, and trying new things! Shelby loves to go thrift shopping to buy what she needs. A philosophy of hers is to not only buy things because she wants them, but because she really needs them. She loves being outside and keeping the Earth around her beautiful. She also tries to re-use as much as possible. Eventually, Shelby would like to become an Art Therapist and help people through the use of art. Graduate school is in her future; however, she may take some time off school and work at a summer camp. One fun fact about Shelby is that she has a bone spur in her knee—osteochondroma! Shelby would like to share that, "Making sustainable choices doesn’t have to be big or flashy; there are lots of little things that we can do in our day-to-day life. Sometimes it’s as easy as turning the faucet off while you brush your teeth. Whatever the case, if everybody is doing something small, it will add up to make a huge difference!"

   Maci Arms

Meet Maci! Maci is a senior working towards a dual-degree in Civil Engineering (Environmental) and Foreign Languages (Spanish). Maci works in the office doing a little bit of everything! Some projects Maci has worked on in the past include: collecting data for AASHE STARS Program, completing the Bee Campus USA application renewal, and she even led Tech's very first water week in 2019 dedicated to water conservation. In her free time, Maci enjoys cooking vegan/vegetarian food, being outdoors, and drinking tea and coffee. Maci's favorite way to practice sustainability is by eating mostly plant-based as well as recycling. Maci plans to study Environmental Engineering in graduate school and to work in the water-resource field. Her long-term goal is to eventually lead empowering engineering service projects abroad in Spanish-speaking regions. A fun fact about Maci is that she spent her fall 2018 semester studying in Seville, Spain. Maci would also like to add that, "Sustainability relates to all majors, and there are so many sustainability-related opportunities on campus, I encourage everyone to get involved as early as possible."

  Caroline Curtis

Meet Caroline! Caroline is a senior Environmental and Sustainability Sciences major. She is one of our recycle workers. In addition to taking care of Tech's recycling, Caroline is also a member of the Sustainable Campus Committee and a representative from the Student Government Association. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, fishing, and crafting. Her favorite sustainable activity is thrift shopping. She has also made it a daily habit to recycle all of her cans and plastic! Caroline will graduate in the spring to begin her career as a park ranger/environmental educator for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A fun fact about Caroline is that she named her dog after one of the buildings on campus—DerryBerry (Derry for short)!

 

  Gracie Huff

Meet Gracie! Gracie is a senior Environmental and Sustainability major with a concentration in Environmental Science, and she will be graduating in December. In the office, Gracie is helping Tech further its goal of becoming an Arboretum Campus. Gracie says that this a rewarding experience because she gets to apply the knowledge that she has learned while at Tennessee Tech. In her free time, you can find Gracie playing with her two rottweilers, Axl and Rose. She also enjoys going on hikes, playing animal crossing, and thrift shopping. Recently, Gracie has learned how to grow her own garden to ensure that the food she is eating is ethically sourced and creates less of a carbon footprint. She is also trying her hand at canning her homegrown food which she says is proving to be intimidating, but rewarding! After graduating, Gracie would like to further her education by getting her Masters degree in Occupational Health and Safety to one day become an Environmental Health and Safety Manager. With this job, she would ensure that companies maintain compliance with industry standards while working towards safe, eco-friendly working environments. A fun fact about Gracie is that she is obsessed with true crime podcasts and The Simpsons—which she has watched many times!

  Lydia Young

Meet Lydia! Lydia is a junior English Literature major. She is one of our office workers and is the person behind this blog! English and sustainability may not seem to go hand-in-hand; however, Lydia wants to use her love of words to spread the message of sustainability to a broader audience. Lydia is also a part of the Sustainable Campus Committee. Some of her hobbies include reading, practicing calligraphy, hiking, and running. Her top two favorite ways to practice sustainability are thrift shopping and composting. She says that there is something magical about watching food go back into the earth to make more food! Also, Lydia has been a vegan for four years and believes that her dietary choices have a direct positive impact on the planet! After graduating, Lydia would like to become an editor for either a book publishing company or for independent writers and perhaps even write her own book one day! She also has a dream to have her own little sustainable farm one day. A fun fact about Lydia is that her favorite movie and book is Little Women!

  Aislynn Martin

Meet Aislynn! Aislynn is a freshman Nursing student. She is another one of our office workers and is directing her attention towards our EagleFit program. She is working on "COVID-19 Friendly" resources to improve one's health while staying at home. Aislynn is aiming the focus of this program to all aspects of health: physical, mental, and social! Some of her favorite hobbies include jewelry making, reality TV watching, and painting. Aislynn's favorite way to be sustainable is by thrift shopping. The majority of her wardrobe consists of thrifted items! After her time at Tennessee Tech, Aislynn plans to become an Obstetrics Registered Nurse or a Nurse Practitioner. A fun fact about Aislynn is that she can play over fifteen instruments! Aislynn says, "Before I worked here and became involved with this program, I did not have a lot of knowledge about what it means to be sustainable and live eco-friendly. In my short time here, I’ve already learned so much."