Meet Gracie Brown–Environmental Action Committee (EAC) board member, Leverett House Co-Eco Rep, and all-around Environmental superstar. A sophomore in Leverett House, concentrating in Environmental Science and Public Policy, Gracie has been involved in Environmental Issues since she first arrived on campus, joining the EAC immediately, and then joining the Resource Efficiency Program (REP) at the beginning of this year.
What first got you interested in Environmental Issues?
My parents' beautiful composting system, the superiority of my hybrid over all other cars in the parking lot, and the general mindset of an eco-friendly culture have been integrated into my life by family, teachers, and community from the get-go. However, on a field trip to the local dump in my senior year of high school, I received a complimentary pair of shoelaces that had printed on them, "I used to be a plastic bottle." From then on, I was a dedicated force of nature for nature. The moral of this story is that field trips are a valuable educational tool for all ages.
What has been your favorite part of being a REP?
My favorite part of being a REP has been getting to know the one and only Leverett House. Not only have I gotten to talk to and work with the quirky students that make Leverett the hoppin' place it is, but I have gotten to know the various miracle-workers who make our house a home.
Building managers, dining hall staff, maintenance crews, tutors, recycling gurus, and all the rest have shown me the depths of the wonders that exist within my own house. This gives me a much greater appreciation for the place I live in.
After you graduate from Harvard, what do you want to do to continue making an impact?
I plan to continue to work in an environmental field, potentially in food or agricultural policy. I will live close to work and family and friends to reduce (or eliminate!) driving. Also, I will live in beautiful California so I can eat local food year-round, won't have to use a heater or air conditioner, and never have to travel to be in the place I love.
What are three things you do in your everyday life that help reduce your environmental impact?
REDUCE: I walk, bike, or take public transportation almost always.
Reducing my driving not only helps the environment, but also benefits the health and safety of anyone who would have been near me while I was in command of a large and lethal motorized vehicle.
REUSE: No scrap of paper is too molested to not handle a few more notes taken in this corner, or that blank space. No homework assignment is too formal to not be turned in on the back of some scrap paper.
RECYCLE:
My haiku to recycling:
Blue bin in kitchen
Now that you are single stream
I recycle all.
...the general mindset of an eco-friendly culture [has] been integrated into my life by family, teachers, and community from the get-go.