Name: Everly Jazi
Year: 2017
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Major/Minor: Major in Psychology, Minors in Journalism and Mass Communication & Sociology
Campus Involvement: President of GW Roots & Shoots
What is your organization, GW Roots & Shoots, about?
Roots & Shoots is part of the Jane Goodall Institute, empowering youth all around the world to take on projects to make the planet and environment better for us all. GW Roots & Shoots is a wildlife conservation organization on campus that focuses on local environmental issues, with our D.C. partner City Wildlife, as well as on international problems that affect us all, like deforestation in Indonesia, Malaysia and some parts of South America because of unsustainable palm oil practices. These issues all relate back to students on campus. When bird collisions occur because of the reflective windows in a GW building, students are involved. When palm oil is harvested in a way that destroys the habitat of orangutans on the island of Borneo to make pop-tarts or other treats we consume, students are involved. GW Roots & Shoots recognizes these problems and we aim to raise awareness about them on campus because there are alternatives to these practices and students can make differences around them.
What is ‘Lights Out D.C.’ and how is our campus involved?
Lights Out D.C. is an initiative started by City Wildlife to survey buildings around D.C. in order to see which ones leave their lights on at night, potentially causing an increase in the number of bird collisions seen during migration season. Lights kept on, especially in very reflective buildings and ones with many windows and plant life inside, cause birds to fly into these buildings, many times resulting in fatal incidents. At GW Roots & Shoots, we are working with our partner to go around and record buildings on campus that are potential risks for birds migrating through the city.
What are you hoping to accomplish this semester/year?
One big project that GW Roots & Shoots started is Responsible Consumerism Week in the spring semester. We ask different advocacy and environmental organizations on campus to partner with us to make comprehensive guides and events that inform the student body on how to avoid purchasing items that are unsustainable or use harmful practices. Because we live in a society that is based around mass consumption, it is necessary to have this week with all different kinds of groups to educate individuals on buying with LGBT workers’ rights, human welfare, food justice and conservation issues in mind among others.
Why/how did you get involved?
In high school, I was fortunate enough to attend a speech Jane Goodall gave about the environment and state of the world as a whole. It was such an inspiring speech that when I came to university, I decided to join Roots & Shoots, her organization, and haven’t look back since.
How can other people get involved?
We’re always welcoming passionate members that are looking for ways to be more involved in the local community with conservation. To get more involved, reach out to us at gwrootsnshoots@gmail.com and come talk to us at our meetings! It’s definitely been a rewarding few years for me and I hope to share that with other students.