Empowering individuals to bring diverse perspectives to the table is a vital part of sustaining community and supporting collective action.
Will Mendoza ’95 sees economic sustainability as part of a triad with social and environmental issues and says it can be challenging, if not impossible, to achieve balance in all three areas. Currently the marketing manager for a manufacturing company in Boston, Will has worked in economic development in many small U.S. communities. In one North Carolina town, he found workers were leaving for other opportunities. “If you need more jobs to keep people there, do you bring in hog farming that will erode the land or a green energy company that will hire only three people?” he asks. Will admits it’s a complex issue: “Everything is so connected; it’s hard to look at isolated factors.”
S ustai n able I n frastructure Infrastructure for housing, work, and transportation—to name a few—is what creates community and what constitutes much of the resources humans use. But problemsolving around how to best use these resources without impinging on the needs of future generations calls for creativity in some cases and returning to basics in others. When it comes to transportation, you can’t get more basic than walking and cycling. Heather Deutsch ’92 works on non-motorized trail systems with the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. Without adequate trail systems for pedestrians and cyclists, she says, driving a car often becomes a necessity. However, she’s found that her biggest hurdle lies in challenging the status quo. While there are many reasons cycling is more sustainable in the long term— bicycling infrastructure is much less expensive than highway systems, bicycles produce zero CO2 emissions, bicycles are cheaper to buy and maintain, and cycling has health benefits—the community benefits in ways that are harder to measure. “When you are a pedestrian or cyclist, the person you come across is not another car, so there is more civility in the interaction,” Heather says. “You become more reliant on society, more in tune with nature, and you experience things at a slower rate.” Choosing not to drive is more equitable, too. “People who can’t afford to own a car are still paying for the cost of the infrastructure for those who do,” Heather says. Low-carbon and low-energy buildings are key to sustainability for Luke Pustejovsky ’96. Luke’s work in green building technologies helps to transform commercial buildings into healthier workplaces. One of his client’s products distributes sunlight in poorly designed office buildings and warehouses. “Most buildings are built in a utilitarian and cost-effective way,” he says. “But we know that people are happier in environments with natural light.” Luke’s clients are also involved in finding solutions to excess CO2 emissions in cement manufacturing. “Six to eight percent of global CO2 emissions come from cement production,” Luke says. “From a biosphere standpoint, environmental sustainability is about tackling the problems associated with infrastructure and fossil fuels.” 4