Laura Heller, Class of 2020
1. Why should people care about the environment?
The environment is a force we interact with every day for our entire lives and affects every aspect of life.
2. What aspect of the environment are you most passionate about? (i.e. deforestation, pollution, waste reduction, etc.)
I am most passionate about global warming because I feel as though this issue requires the most cooperation worldwide to solve. Global warming also affects so many other aspects of the environment, and if we do nothing about it, it will be catastrophic.
3. Are environmental issues inherently political?
I do not believe environmental issues should be political. However, they always become political.
4. What’s one thing we can do every day to help the environment?
We can do basics to help conserve energy like turning off lights and unplugging chargers when they aren’t in use. We can also do things to minimize waste like composting or even selecting certain brands over others. But most importantly, to remain informed about environmental issues.
5. What’s one thing you’ve done for the environment that you’re proud of?
I am very proud of the collective work of Soka’s sustainability committee. Last year we applied for AASHE STARS (Sustainability Tracking and Rating System) to understand as a campus how sustainable we really are along with what aspects of sustainability we need to improve upon. This is a very big step as a university because we can now visualize what we need to do, and we are held to a certain standard. We received a bronze rating, missing silver by only a couple points and our goal is to receive gold by 2021.